simul aeternum
by dynamiic
Summary: One year later, they're still taking down witches. Originally hired to exterminate a mountain witch terrorizing a town of the Cardarom Kingdom, this gig turned out to be much worse than Muriel back in Augsburg. GRADUAL light BAMFcest. Rated M for violence, gore, and slight sexual themes. CHAPTER 4: New Witch Hunters UP!
1. A New Hunt

"Gotcha," Hansel murmured through gritted teeth.

He pushed his legs to run faster to close the distance between him and the fleeing witch. This had been dragging on longer than he'd liked and it annoyed him. He was already in a bad mood, being woken from one of the better sleeps he'd had in a long time.

The witch's wild, dirtied blonde hair and the dark tatters of her dress flew with the wind as she frantically ran. Her snapped wand was gripped tightly in her hand though it was completely useless, its splintered end just a mere stick. She was just a running target. The witch looked back and met Hansel's eyes for the briefest second, dark circles connecting with predator brown, before he mercilessly pulled his trigger.

A loud bang split the air and dark ooze splattered in all directions as the witch's head was blown into bits. The rest of her body crashed into the dirt ground and slid into a stop.

Hansel slid on his heels to halt himself and approached the body to admire his work that'd taken almost three straight hours to do. The fucking witch that decided to interrupt his sleep was finally dead. This one wasn't particularly smart or strong but he had to admit, she really did give him a good run. It was just a matter of how much stamina he had to chase her to the ends of the earth.

He rustled through pockets to find his lighter as he shifted piles of leaves and broken branches closer to where the witch's body lay. When he was satisfied with the size of the pile, he crouched down close to his work and, with a flick of his thumb, ignited it. The fire slowly consumed the fuel and engulfed the body in mere minutes.

"There were only two of them, right?" he heard someone say behind him.

He turned to see Gretel holding the other witch's dismembered head by the hair- or what was left of it anyway. Edward was right behind her carrying the witch's body over his shoulder, blood still dripping from the neck.

"Yeah," Hansel said, nodding, "Where's Ben?"

"Still back at camp," Gretel said as she and Edward made their way towards the fire Hansel started.

"I didn't bother to wake him up."

She tossed the dismembered head into the fire and Edward followed suit, hoisting the hull of meat from his shoulders and flinging it with a grunt. The flames grew slightly larger from the additional fuel and the three watched the redness dance in the late morning light- to make sure the cadavers were burned thoroughly- before finally making their way back to camp.

"How far do we have left?" Hansel asked, slinging his gun over his shoulder as they walked.

The fall leaves and fallen twigs crunched beneath their feet. The witch-hunting four were heading for Linderwood, hired to exterminate the mountain witch that'd been terrorizing the town for the past few months.

"About ten miles," Gretel said with a small sigh.

The surprise attack in the early morning also woke her from a decent sleep. They'd been traveling for about couple days from their last witch gig down south and it was the first time they'd gotten at least eight hours of slumber. It was _refreshing_, for the lack of a better word for the witch hunters.

"It's pretty odd, though," Gretel suddenly said, "that two witches would be out in open like that… and to attack us out of nowhere."

Hansel shrugged, still annoyed.

"Well whatever the reason, we took their asses down," he simply said, "I just want to go back to sleep."

Edward grumbled in agreement, the troll having lost some valuable sleep as well.

"It's almost noon," Gretel interjected with slight irritation, "We need to start moving to make it to Linderwood by evening. We can't risk camping out like that again."

Hansel groaned at his sister's usual need for punctuality and just wished she'd loosen up for once. But he didn't argue in the end; he knew they needed to get to the town as soon as possible before the people were scared shitless enough to do something drastic themselves. The idea of another possible good sleep being interrupted didn't particularly appeal to him either.

"Alright, well let's get Ben," Hansel sighed.

* * *

"I can't believe you left me out of another witch chase… AGAIN," Ben groaned in disappointment, "Jeez, that's the seventh time now!"

The four finally made their way out of the sullen woods and came to the bright sunlight again. The landscape instantaneously changed in complete appearance and atmosphere right when they crossed the rickety bridge. They still had six more miles to go but the weight of their artillery Edward was dragging slowed them down more than usual.

"Well what can we say? You're one helluva heavy sleeper," Hansel replied as he adjusted the sling of his gun over his shoulder, "Even though it's been a year, kid, you've still got a lot to learn."

"Yeah, learn from what? Being Pack Mule #2?" the teenager complained, shifting the pack on his back to further prove his point.

"Of course. Besides," Hansel lightly patted the boy's shoulder, "It looked like you needed the beauty sleep."

Ben conjured a meager come back and the two continued to lightly bicker as they trekked through the green meadow. The place looked almost fairy tale perfect: flowers and crisp blades of grass swaying with the breeze, lone trees that had no branch or leaf missing, and the clouds looking like they could just reach up and grab it like cotton candy.

"What's this witch job again?" Ben asked. He realized he hadn't gotten to ask either the siblings of the details with this particular mission.

"There's a mischievous witch up in the mountains beside Linderwood," Gretel answered with an informative tone. The more she talked about it, the more she wanted to get there as quickly as possible. They'd been dragging on far too long for her liking.

"The mayor's letter said there'd been random attacks with no obvious pattern… and missing children."

"Oh god not that again," Ben groaned, as he recalled the incident back in Augsburg with Muriel, "Don't tell me that it's another one of those Feast of the Blood Moon stuff again."

"The Feast of the Blood Moon only comes around every few years so we're good with that," Hansel said as they continued to walk, "Looks like we've got to find a new lead with that one."

The wooden cart's wheels creaking and the soft gushes of wind added to the mixture of noise that got Gretel more agitated by the second. At the foot of the hill, she turned her head towards the troll. She was getting too impatient, but being Gretel she managed to grab hold of it before her temper lashed out.

"Edward, can we pick it up a bit?" Gretel asked politely, though her question was laced with irritation.

He looked at her with intimidated, tired eyes and let out a small whimper that came out in a soft growl. The cart was full of artillery, weapons, ammunition, terrain traps, more various tools of torture and the weight proved to be heavy even for the strong troll.

"Come on, Sis," Hansel said, coming to Edward's defense, "You don't need to be so pushy. We've got time."

"No, we don't Hansel," Gretel said, irritation more evident in her voice, "We're not even halfway there yet. You two need to get your asses moving faster, too."

Gretel brushed past him, aggressively pulled the cart's cloth covering, and grabbed two of the heaviest guns. She slung them over her shoulders and briskly started walking up the hill ahead of the other three, her strides long and strong.

"What's up with her?" Ben asked, slightly offended- though he didn't ignore the opportunity to stare at Gretel's derriere with a tilted head.

Hansel stared at his sister's back for a second- slightly taken aback by her bite though he didn't show it- before turning back to Ben as Edward neatly threw the cloth covering over the cart again.

"I think it's about that time of month again," Hansel said nonchalantly as they started to follow her path.

"Time of month?" Ben asked questioningly. The older man turned his head at him with a look of _'really?'_, eyebrows crooked and arms folded.

"Ohhhhh," Ben said when he understood, "Period, menstrual cycle, PMS, pissed at men syndrome. Got it."

"Yeah. But hey, kid."

"Yeah? What?"

"Remember Rule #1?"

"Yeah, yeah… don't stare at Gretel's ass. Sorry."

* * *

"Oh thank goodness you're here," the Linderwood mayor, Gandore, sighed with relief, "I almost thought you hadn't received my letter."

The four were escorted into Gandore's office by his assistant; Hansel and Gretel standing in front of his desk, Ben sitting comfortably on the couch like he'd never sat in one before, and Edward standing awkwardly in such a neat room. They made it to the town with only an hour to waste before the sun set for the day, thanks to Gretel's little 'outburst'.

Hansel and Gretel wasted no time.

"How many attacks have there been, when do they usually happen, and when did they start?" Hansel asked authoritatively, his folded arms emphasizing the boldness in his voice.

"There have been a total of twenty-five, I believe," the old man nervously said from behind his desk, "It all started about six months ago and the attacks are either days or weeks apart… sometimes even hours, so it's terribly hard to say. My townspeople aren't used to things such as this since the Cardarom Kingdom has been vacant of the presence of witches for almost a hundred years."

"Well, looks like your town's the first to break that streak," Hansel commented as he absent-mindedly wandered to the trinkets sitting on the head of the fireplace.

His hands found the small statue of an enormous woman sitting in the most unattractive position he'd ever seen.

"And that's why the King's ordered me to send for you witch hunters," Gandore said, double-taking at Hansel when he saw the younger man was observing one of his prized small statues,

"He wants this issue taken care of before the terror spreads to other towns in the kingdom. I've been trying, with all my power, to keep it contained in this one under his orders… Please put that down."

Hansel shrugged and inwardly questioned the old man's sexual preferences. He set the little statue down from where he'd taken it.

"No other towns have been attacked?" Hansel asked, pacing his way back to the front of the mayor's desk with arms refolded.

"No, just this one," Gandore replied.

"How many children gave been taken?" Gretel asked right after he finished he sentence.

"Only six so far," Gandore replied after he took in a gulp.

Suddenly an explosion, yelling, and a shrill shriek broke through the room's open window.

"SHE HAS MY BABY BOY!" a woman screamed in distress.

"Make that seven," Hansel mumbled.

He quickly grabbed for his gun that was propped up against the couch and Ben scrambled up from his light sleep. Gretel was already out the window with her crossbow readied in hand.

Hansel jumped out right after her and landed on the stone ground with a thud. The plaza was in chaos with people frantically running for their lives, not caring who they knocked over or stepped on. Glass was broken, carts were left unattended, and animals were just as panicked as they ran around in confusion. A building ahead was engulfed in flames, its front completely blown to pieces.

The disarray almost deafened him.

He caught sight of Gretel running south and chasing a hooded figure on a broom that had a caged child hanging on its tail. Hansel quickly ran after them after a split second and aimed his gun at the flying witch. But he couldn't shoot; he ran against the panicked sea of people, dodging them left and right and even had to jump over an unconscious body lying on the floor face down.

Gretel fired her arrows but missed the moving target. She couldn't afford to be so aggressive- she could hit the child if she wasn't careful. Still, she couldn't just let the bitch go. The broom flew at a slower speed than normal, for the weight of the child and bone cage weighed it down. The witch, cackling her brains out, conjured up spells that deflected every arrow that came her way.

"Gretel!" Hansel yelled as he caught up with her.

"We need to stop her before she gets past the town's borders!" Gretel yelled back as they kept running, dodging physical obstacles.

If the witch made it to the border there would have been no way for them to catch up to her; the gates were closed for the day at sunset and to wait for them to open would take too long. It would be too late.

"Hey! Wait for me!" they heard Ben bellow from behind them.

"Stay here, kid!" Hansel called, "Help Edward put out that fire!"

The two siblings took off faster, not waiting to hear Ben's arguments. They began to shoot at the cackling witch together, aligning their aims to make it impossible for their bullets and arrows to hit the child no matter how the broom moved. The witch deflected them with more spells but as she looked back, she didn't see the hanging banner before it was too late.

The witch crashed into the tarp, ripping it into shreds but the impact significantly slowed her down. Her flight faltered at the crash and Hansel took the opportunity: he ran on a ramp on the side, jumped atop vendor's carts and tackled the witch off her broom with a grunt. He sent the two of them flying to the side and they crashed into a fruit stand idly standing by.

Hansel gathered hits wits in time to pin the witch down on her neck with the heel of his boot and his knee on her stomach. She thrashed against his pressure but he was too heavy for her and the weight on her throat blocked air. Hansel threw his fist at her face and crunched the side of her jaw but only got a maniacal, choked laugh in response.

The witch kicked her leg up and knocked him face forward into the debris and took the open window to escape from his lock. She scrambled from the ground and made her way towards where her broom landed, the bone cage now detached and lying on the opposite side of the street.

Gretel had made it to where the child lay unconscious from the crash and was trying to crack the strong bone with a blacksmith's hammer she found lying about. The child was horrendously bleeding with a big gash on his forehead and a piece of linder stabbed through his side. If she didn't get to him in time the poor kid was surely going to bleed to death.

As she ran for her broom, the witch fired a spell at the shop that was right behind them and an explosion came from the inside. The force threw Gretel and the cage a few feet away and engulfed the place in flames that was already starting to grow to a monstrous size. Hansel was in pursuit of the witch but was diverted upon seeing the newly emerged situation to the right of him.

"HANSEL!" Gretel yelled as she painfully tried to get up.

The cage was still sitting only a few feet away from the growing flames and would be consumed in the next seconds. Hansel stole a glance at the witch who was already mounting her broom and realized he had to make a heavy, split decision: either go after the bitch before she got away or come to the unconscious kid's rescue for the cage was too heavy for Gretel to move alone, especially injured.

Hansel growled in annoyance- he hated letting witches getting away- and sprinted to where Gretel was already trying to pull the cage. He threw down his gun on the floor and grabbed a bone bar with both hands. He heaved with all his might for the flames were growing faster with every second that passed.

The pull was agonizing and the heat was searing, their whole bodies already feeling burned. They both pulled but the cage only moved barely a foot with their strained efforts. The child's blood was still spilling and it looked like he wasn't going to last any longer.

Just when both of them thought it was lost cause, Edward came running like a juggernaut down the street and grabbed the cage with both hands. He picked the bone structure up and hoisted it over his shoulders- almost too violently- away from the crackling flames.

"Gentle!" Gretel yelled as she fell to her knees from the pain of her burns, "The kid's dying. Edward, get him to someone who can help!"

The troll nodded and quickly made his way back to the hospital just a few blocks away, more careful with his cargo. As he left, men wearing distinct yellow uniforms came running with multiple buckets of water and rolled in a massive pump. They began to throw the buckets of water to try to put the heinous fire out and continued to shower it, refilling their buckets, when the flames didn't give.

Hansel glanced at up at where he'd last seen the witch mount her broom and found empty space other than debris. She was long gone.

"Hey," Hansel said, making his way over to Gretel in the midst of the firemen's yelling, rustling and the spewing of water from the pump, "You alright?"

He knelt down to his sister and scanned her body for major wounds but found nothing other than burns on the side of her left exposed arm. There were cuts and bruises but none were dire.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Gretel insisted and pushed away Hansel's worried hands, "Did she get away?"

"Yeah," Hansel admitted with displeasure, "It was either get her ass or save the kid."

"Well, at least one child wasn't taken away… if he isn't dead by now," she said, sighing and getting up in pain, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, more or less," he replied, picking up his gun that he threw to the side, "Come on, they've got this fire taken care of."

Loud clapping suddenly sounded from behind and they turned to see a crowd of townspeople had started to gather around them. They cheered, whistled, and shouted thank you's at the two with teary eyes and big smiles.

'Thank you, witch hunters!"

"That was magnificient!"

"That was incredible!"

"I want your autograph!"

"Thank you so much!"

The two looked at the crowd with befuddled faces as the people continued to shower them with graces. This was odd. Whenever a witch managed to get away from their grasps, townspeople in general were usually angry that they only managed to drive them out but not kill them. Even when they did successfully kill the witch, they'd never gotten a standing ovation such as this. The enthusiastic clapping, smiles and cheers were definitely something new.

The place really was unknowing to the reality of witches.

"This place is fucking weird," Hansel said.

* * *

_I love the movie so much that I wanted to write a fanfiction right after I got out of that theatre. Good god, it was just great for me though it wasn't a hit with the critics. BUT I SAY ENJOY THE MOVIE FOR WHAT IT IS AND DON'T NITPICK IT! _

_Anyway, the characterization might be a little off since there was barely any development in the movie but I tried to incorporate funny bits that I thought were appropriate and tried to make it play out like a movie script in story form. I really hope it works. And all the characters and places aside from the ones already in the movie I just created and I hope they work too! _

_This chapter is mostly just a test chapter to see if my characterization, tone, and writing are on par for a fic for this movie. I know nothing's happened much yet but I'd just like to say that there's so much coming after this- I've got the whole plot line already down and I'm definitely excited to continue this if people like it. _

_Please drop a review! Critiques, comments, and questions are all welcome._

_And what does Simul Aeternum (the title) mean? Look it up! _

_Thanks for reading! Until next time~_


	2. No Leads

Hansel plopped himself on the soft bed with a sigh of relief. It'd been a while since he actually had the opportunity to sleep in such a nice, warm, cushioned bed. It felt like absolute heaven the second his aching back and sore limbs touched the mattress.

Usually, when they'd even get the chance to stay at a place for the night, Hansel would give up the bed to Gretel and Ben and Edward would sleep on the floor along with him if they managed to only get one room, which was quite so often. But tonight they were housed in the best inn they'd ever been to in the last 16 years of their witch-hunting career.

The room was a good size, the curtains were velvet, the bed had a canopy with drapes hanging from its slender pillars, and the wooden floors were sleek with even polish. The atmosphere was warm, unlike the drafty ones they've stayed at, and felt homey.

The Cardarom Kingdom's towns- they learned right when they set foot through Linderwood's gates- were prosperous, well kept and in total order. The streets were clean, hardly any homeless wandering about, and the vendors courteous and polite. The townspeople wore light colors, clothes neatly pressed and sewn to the perfect fit, so the all black and brown the four wore made them stick out like sore thumbs. They'd never been to such a nice place before.

It was late evening and the town was preparing for slumber, including the witch hunters who decided they'd pick up their mission in the morning after a good rest. The townspeople were finally calmed from the latest attack after a few hours and the town's labor workers quickly cleaned up the mess. The only life out in the streets was the night watch personnel wandering about with the dim street lamps as their sole company.

Hansel looked around the room that he shared with his sister and soaked in the niceness of it all. It was the larger of the two rooms given to them by the mayor and he was glad Gretel chose it before anyone else could. Ben had tried to subtly room with her but Hansel, being as overprotective of his sister as she was to him, pulled the boy back by the collar and walked in after Gretel.

"I don't think so, champ," he'd said with a smirk. Though it came out playful, Hansel seriously meant it.

Gretel walked out from the room's bathroom clad in only a large, old white blouse she used as a nightgown. The hem barely came down over her bottom, her bare legs exposed. Hansel didn't mind it- he never had. They'd been together tightly and gone through so much for so long that the two could strip to their underwear in front of each other comfortably.

"This is pretty nice," he said, glancing at her then training his eyes all around the room again.

"Mm," she merely replied and plopped herself on the opposite side of the bed, "We need to decide our first move tomorrow."

"We can decide that _tomorrow, _Gretel," Hansel said, starting to get annoyed by her pushing lately.

For the last few weeks since they'd received the letter from Gandore Gretel had been cranky and stricter than usual, growing more so as time went by. He didn't mind her need for order throughout their whole lives because, thankfully, she also had a much more relaxed side though that part only showed half the time. That particular half wasn't showing at the moment.

Hansel patted one of the fresh pillows, "We get a good night's sleep first and then we jump right back to work."

Gretel slightly glared at him as she folded her arms.

"We wouldn't be wasting time tomorrow if we decide what we're going to do right now. I'd rather have a plan already set before we move because something odd is going on. Those two witches we came across this morning then the mountain witch trying to take another child earlier-"

"Jeez, what's been up with you lately?" Hansel said disdainfully, shaking his head and sounding awfully irritated…too irritated for Gretel's liking.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she said, her voice slightly giving away that she was offended.

"Are you...?" Hansel asked, averting his eye contact and awkwardly gestured with his hands, "Are you- uh- you know…"

Though they were comfortable enough to strip in front of each other, this was not something the siblings talked about. Anything of feminine needs, Gretel kept to herself and Hansel didn't argue. To him, his masculinity just made feminine matters embarrassing to discuss.

"Am I what, Hansel?" Gretel asked, her voice now fully harboring annoyance.

"You know," he said uneasily, raising his head and made eye contact, "On your…"

Gretel's glare disappeared and look of confusion with narrowed eyes replaced it.

"What?"

"Nevermind," Hansel said quickly and then sighed. After a few seconds, he looked up at her with a soft face and relaxed eyes and reached out to gently push lone strands of hair from her face,

"But you've been acting weird lately. If there's anything wrong you know you can tell me."

Gretel was silent for a moment as she stared right back at Hansel on the opposite side of the bed. The sincerity in his eyes and the candles' glow on them suddenly made her heart beat faster, like she'd been caught. His face was soft, yet the shadows embraced the corners and crevices of his face enough to make him look solemn. She gently touched his extended wrist with both hands and looked straight into his eyes. His lingering hand on her face felt warm and soothing.

Had she really been acting weird? Her mind tried to search for the instances that might have given him that idea. To her, she didn't feel like her usual demeanor was off, though she did notice her more frequent impatience.

"Is there something going on I should know about?" Hansel asked again when she merely just stared back at him with no response. He absentmindedly caressed her warm cheek with his thumb.

"No, nothing's wrong," Gretel said softly, pulling his hand away from her face. Then her tone completely changed back to sharpness.

"Fine, go to bed. But we rise early tomorrow."

She pulled the heavy covers up and slipped under them, moving around to make herself comfortable. She turned on her right side, the burns on her left arm visible under her folded sleeves.

Hansel gazed at his sister's back, unmoving from where he sat. He found no trace of her lying, but then again, Gretel had grown into a good liar with one of the best poker faces he'd seen. It sometimes bothered him that he couldn't tell if she was lying or not with that face on; he thought he knew her too well to not know.

Hansel sighed and decided to leave it alone for the time being, seeing that she was already abraded and he craved some good, uninterrupted sleep. He got up and walked over to the window to crack it open a mere inch. She slept better with the outside's subtle noises lulling her and he gradually learned that over multiple summers. It was something he'd done for Gretel ever since they were children.

Hansel blew out the few candles around the room, slowly climbed into the bed and pushed his back right up against hers, feeling comfortable and warm.

"Good night, Gretel."

* * *

"Wake up, kid," Hansel said, slapping the sleeping boy's back, "We're about to move."

Ben jolted awake from his lean on Edward and looked around in groggy confusion. The troll nudged him with his elbow hard enough to fully wake the teenager. Shaking his head to get rid of the last sleep off, Ben adjusted his pack and gun sling on his shoulders.

They were out in front of the inn all suited up to head out on their mission, carrying their usual weapons and bringing along packs full of food to last them till sunset. The mayor and the town's sheriff- who was for sure a lot less of an asshole than Berringer- had come to meet up with them before they sought out.

"The mountains that I suggest you search first are just three miles from the west gate where the horse stalls are also located," Gandore said, almost too enthusiastically for that early morning even for an old man his age. The sun was still barely rising from behind the mountains and only the milk and garbage men roamed the streets.

"People report seeing the witch flee in different directions but west has been the most frequent report. It's best if you start there," Gandore added.

"Gotcha," Hansel said as he strapped on his gloves.

"And also," the mayor continued, "If you find the children, please bring them back dead or alive. I know some families would want to give their child a proper burial if it came to that end. Here are their records; they will be of help I assume."

He took a small folder of papers from the sheriff's hands and handed it to Gretel who put it in her pack.

"Is there anything up on those mountains we should worry about other than witches?" she asked, glancing up at the large mounds of earth that towered over the town. The peaks looked monstrous even from a few miles away. Searching was going to take a long ass time.

"There are a few mountain lions and bears here and there," the sheriff answered, "But those shouldn't be a problem for you to handle."

"Wait, did you say mountain lions and bears?" Ben piped up, the sheriff's words dawning on him after a full second.

"What are you scared about?" Hansel teased with subtle laugh, "We've killed fucking witches. You even shot Muriel for pete's sake."

"But-"

"Cut the chatter," Gretel said sharply as she propped her crossbow on her shoulder and started waking, "Let's go."

Ben glanced at Hansel who merely just shrugged before starting to follow her. The boy looked up at the troll who was still standing idly beside him.

"She's acting weird, right?" Ben asked, "It's not just me?"

Edward nodded and sounded a grunt in agreement. They started to follow the other two, Gretel already a block away and Hansel jogging to catch up to her. Ben didn't miss the worried look Edward had in the droop of his eyes. Though the troll's face naturally had a small slant, this different contortion was definitely something else. Even he knew that there was something odd about Gretel.

Ben decided to change the subject to lighten the mood. He'd been wondering about this ever since Hansel mentioned his sister and menstruation the day before anyway.

"Hey Edward, do female trolls have periods?"

The troll growled with disapproval and lightly smacked him on the back of his head.

"Good luck!" they heard Gandore call from behind.

The three-mile travel went mostly in silence apart from Hansel and Ben's conversation. Gretel remained quiet, occasionally glancing at the lost children's papers and answering either Hansel or Ben when they referred to her. Edward merely sat in a flat cart gazing at the surroundings, while the three horses the others rode pulled him since he was far too heavy to ride one.

By the time they reached the foot of the mountains, the morning sun had already risen from behind the giants. They dismounted the horses and chained them to thick trees to ensure that no one coming cross would try to steal them and set quick traps to keep predators at bay.

"We split up so we cover more ground," Gretel commanded. She loaded her crossbow with swift hands, having done the same motion about a million times.

"Edward with me and Hansel with Ben. You two go west and find anything suspicious. Rendezvous back here an hour before sunset so we have light to head back."

"You mean we're going to be out here all day?" Ben groaned as he finished adjusting his gun sling.

Gretel ignored him, already swiftly making her way into the thickness of the woods and Edward trotting on her heels to catch up after he stole a glance back at the other two. She'd been going off like that a lot lately.

"Seriously, what is up with her?" Ben turned to Hansel with an exasperated sigh as soon as the two others were out of sight and earshot,

"Gretel's been acting pretty anal lately."

"Don't know," Hansel said, clipping his utility belt into place and adjusting it like a woman putting on a skirt, "I asked her last night but she said it was nothing."

They started to make their way into the forests in long strides for their time was already running and they had to scour as much of the mountain as they could in less than 12 hours. They couldn't waste time being still.

Despite their urgence, they couldn't deny the beauty of the mountainside's nature. The trees were tall and thick and still retained some green leaves even with the incoming fall season. The grass and shrubbery were voluptuous. The morning dew still adorned the greenery around them and a small chill prickled their exposed skin. Compared to the warmth of the inn this was definitely cold. Cold but bearable.

"Has she acted like this before?" Ben asked as they climbed up a small rock ledge. He took Hansel's extended hand and was easily hoisted up.

"She has," the older man replied lightly but then continued to walk ahead of him, "But this was way back when we started our witch hunting thing. She saved my ass when we killed our first witch and for months after that day she pushed both of us like crazy. For a while I thought she'd gone nuts from trauma."

"Really?" Ben asked, following close behind Hansel. Birds fluttered from the tips of trees and shook the branches, showering the two with loose leaves.

"Yup… but if it weren't for her, we wouldn't have gotten through all that we did," Hansel said slowly, scanning the setting with hawk eyes, "After all, the brawn's nothing without the brains."

"But that still doesn't answer why she's acting like that now," Ben said with a frown.

They jumped down into a ravine that looked like it'd been cracked from a large, growing tree's roots. A wide of array of plants sprouted from the earth's crevices and bugs were abundant among greenery, buzzing around in search of nectar to feed on. The two continued on through without minding them.

"Yeah well, she insisted that nothing's wrong," Hansel said, sighing and kicking a rotted log out of their pathway, "Couldn't tell if she was lying or not but if we probed her it'll probably just get worse."

Ben agreed with a small reply and they continued to walk in silence. They'd probably walked about a mile from the fast walking pace Hansel was setting and found nothing so far. A large portion of the mountainside was still left to search.

The soft ground shifted beneath the soles of their boots, its consistency close to that of mud but not quite as watery. It made the slightly uphill trek that much more tedious and it forced them to find leverage or else they'd slip. And it was a long roll down.

Hansel's eyes focused on everything around him, not missing any crevice or space that might give away something of a witch's. He'd fought mountain witches before back a few years ago and they'd learned that they liked to build their lairs into the sides of the mountain with stones. The last mountain witch they'd confronted was clever with her hideout and gave them a good search for her lair. A slab of a broken boulder covered the stone opening and made it difficult for them to discern it. His eyes needed to be sharp now, too, or this would just be a mere goose chase.

Squirrels. Broken twigs. Leaves. Bushes. Trees. Dirt. Mud.

They found nothing other than those things after power walking for another hour.

"Maybe she's just sexually frustrated or man-deprived for too long," Ben suddenly said thoughtfully, almost like he was just thinking out loud and the words weren't meant to verbally come out.

"Where in the _hell_ did that come from?" Hansel asked, dumbfounded with a ridiculous look on his face.

He knew odd things came out of the kid's mouth sometimes but this had got to be one of the weirdest he'd heard yet. Ben snapped out of his think bubble and looked embarrassed that he had said his thoughts out loud. The boy then recomposed himself and cleared his throat.

"Uh, believe it or not, I don't know too much about women-"

"Yeah, that's definitely a shocker."

"-but whenever my mom seemed crabby for a couple of days she'd suddenly be chipper one morning and I _know_ for a fact that my parents had sex the night before because she always changed the sheets when they do. Then the same thing happens over again in the next few weeks."

"Dude," Hansel said, still looking at Ben with a disgusted look as they walked, "Way too much information."

"Hey, I'm just saying," Ben said, shrugging, "Why else would Gretel be acting so uptight? You guys haven't fought right?"

"No, we never fight," Hansel replied.

He continued to scan the environment with his senses keen on picking up on anything abnormal despite the odd conversation going between them. Nothing was catching his eyes so far.

"Then there's no other possible explanation!" the younger boy said with a concluding tone.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

* * *

Gretel walked in complete silence but made sure Edward was still right behind her. The troll hadn't said a word the two hours they've searched the area and she was half glad he didn't. She didn't feel like being in a talkative mood at all at the moment and just wanted to be productive as possible before heading back for the night.

They continued to walk in a fast pace that Edward had grown accustomed to over the last year fighting alongside the small and faster three. One of his steps equaled to two of Gretel's so he had no problem keeping up with the woman even with three guns and an axe slung on to his back.

He liked being with Gretel. It calmed him and he didn't prefer anyone else's company. Ever since they'd met back in Augsburg and she saved his life he felt he was eternally indebted. So, he made a silent oath to protect her in every single possible way he could. However, he knew well that Hansel was already her knight and shining armor but Edward thought there was no other means for him to pay her back for saving his life.

But now, Gretel was acting strange and he didn't how to approach, much less think of, it. Having been enslaved by Muriel and the other witches for all of his life he had no real contact with humans, except for the children that they captured for the Feast of the Blood Moon. And even then, all he did was throw them food into their cells. There wasn't exactly much room to actually connect with any of them.

Hansel didn't seem like he knew what was going on with Gretel either and they were so close as siblings; that fact alone said something.

Another hour of searching, jumping and climbing passed.

"Edward," Gretel said, breaking the silence on their seventh mile tracing up and down the lower end of the mountain, "Do you need a break?"

Edward grunted and shook his head. Her voice was softer this time around but he didn't want to risk getting her agitated again, especially since she'd snapped at him to go faster the day before. He could manage even with aching legs but trolls were not made for continuous long distance travel.

"Alright," Gretel nodded and took a sip from her metal canteen, "Then let's keep moving."

She focused her sights on her surroundings and nitpicked every detail to find anything suspicious. Gretel was much more avid at noticing details than her brother- who was too impatient to clearly observe things- so she was the one who'd found the lair when they last fought a mountain witch. She expected that recognizing it wouldn't be a problem; just the locating it would be the difficult part.

Small, dark crevices. Small drafts coming from those cracks. Stones arranged in a manner that nature wouldn't have been able to. Broken slabs stone. Abundant verdure. Usually mid to lower elevation for these particular witches didn't like lack of oxygen. Gretel had figured those to be the things to recognize as the entrance of a mountain witch's lair. The scene would be greatly camouflaged and that was the key in finding their target.

They carried on with their trek and still found nothing in the next two hours. Nothing looked out of the ordinary and they only came across little mammals that were gathering food for the winter. It was starting to seem like the lair was nowhere near where they were searching. They quickly decided to head to the other two's direction in hopes that they'd found something.

Then, two hours before they were to rendezvous, something caught Gretel's eye from afar. A lone gun was lying on the grass, enfolded between the green blades, and in one piece but dirtied. Its shape was eerily familiar. Long, sleek, round, pointed tip…

Hansel's. And it was covered in blood.

Gretel felt urgency suddenly surge through her the second she recognized her brother's gun. It was his, no doubt about it. She'd help him design it when a blacksmith repaid his debt by crafting that gun- she'd know that masterpiece anywhere.

"HANSEEEL!" she yelled at the top voice, worry and fear making her words feel heavy in her mouth. If he was hurt, he could not have gotten that far, especially since it looked like an enormous amount of blood was spilled. She tried to not think of the worst.

"BEN!" she screamed.

Something must have happened to him too. If Hansel were down then whoever or whatever did it would wipe the floor clean with Ben. Flashes of gory images of them severely cut, broken and bleeding plagued her mind and almost distorted her senses.

Edward saw what she had discovered with wide, worried eyes and started to frantically look around for any sign of their two other companions. He jogged around the close perimeter while Gretel scoured the opposite side. Their eyes searched around for any signs of either two: more of their weapons, tattered clothing, body parts… Gretel shook the latter idea out of her head.

"Gr-Gretel!" Edward's yell came out in a growl a short distance from her.

"What is it, Edward?" she came hurrying with alarmed eyes.

She looked at where he was pointing and saw a small trail of blood leading to behind some shrubbery a few yards ahead of them. Without so much of a comment to the troll she hurriedly made her way, following the trail to wherever it led especially if it was her brother or Ben. She mentally prepared herself to whatever they might find at the end of it and readied her crossbow just in case they found whatever attacked them.

Edward followed closely behind with the giant axe held tightly in his hands, large fingers shifting uneasily on the wooden shaft. As they neared the tall shrubbery they slowed their pace to almost a tiptoe for the bushes where to thick to see through. Gretel placed a gloved hand on one branch and glanced at Edward who looked back at her with nervous eyes.

Had the witch gotten them? Did a mountain lion or bear maul them? Whatever happened, their guesses at to what was lying beyond the bushes got them agitated. Gretel tightened her jaw and slowly moved the single branch to the side, with the full expectation of some kind of monster about to jump at her through the hole.

Fortunately, nothing was there but the setting of a large tree and its roots cascading down a short cliff. Vines hung over the edge and thickly covered the vertical earth with stones sitting below them on the lower ground.

Gretel's eyes scanned the scene and saw that the trail of blood continued on from where they stood and went towards the end of the cliff.

"The trail," she breathed, "it ends at a dead end."

Only a small rumble came out from the back of Edward's throat in reply. It was completely odd. The trail stopped right at the base of the mini cliff and seemingly disappeared underneath the thick vines. There were no other traces of blood anywhere and it just looked like whoever was bleeding just disappeared right on the spot.

"Let's get a closer look," Gretel mumbled and she pushed her way from behind the bushes with her crossbow ready to fire. Edward got out after her and paced his cautious sights all around.

They approached the spot where blood trail ended and it was just as peculiar up close as from far away. It was human fluid for sure, since the consistency was more aqueous and the color much lighter than that of a witch's.

What now? It led them here but it was a dead end.

"Wait," Gretel breathed when she noticed broken pieces of rock sticking out from under the vines. The shadows hid the stone well but a couple of pieces managed to stick out into the light.

Broken rock like that could only mean one thing.

A hunch suddenly pulled on the corners of her mind but she had to make sure of it. She placed a hand on the thick vine and slowly pushed, half expecting to feel hard stone against her hand and half expecting empty space. Her touch continued to push through and the thick vines were eventually casted aside.

It was empty space. It was an opening.

"We found it," Gretel said in a low voice.

She took a step back before her hand reached any further into the darkness and was, for a moment, wary that if the witch were inside she would have seen the small rays of light enter through where Gretel had stuck her hand through. But luckily, there was still only silence other than the chirping of the birds and rustling of leaves in the breeze.

Hansel or Ben was somewhere in there. They had to save them.

"Edward," she whispered to the troll beside her, "On my word, we're going to charge in and take the witch by surprise if she's in there. Stay alert and be aware that Hansel or Ben might be in there somewhere, too."

The troll nodded with understanding and prepared to ram through the vines and whatever was in their way. He gripped his axe with more force and waited for Gretel to give the signal with visible apprehension.

"GO!" she yelled and they both charged through the thick vines into the darkness.

The stench of sweat, dirt and blood quickly engulfed their noses the second the darkness absorbed them. Nothing wailed, nothing jumped out at them to attack, and nothing screamed but what they saw they were not prepared to see.

In the middle of earth, candle lit room lowly hung a fresh body that was still dripping blood.

Black boots. Leather coat. Fingerless gloves. Buckled vest.

All covered in blood.

"HANSEL!" Gretel shrieked, her face contorting into utter distress in the candlelight.

"Ben!" Edward howled when he spotted a slender, bloody body lying limp up against the far wall.

"No," Gretel said, her voice low and pained. She dropped her crossbow and ran towards Hansel's dead body. His head hung sideways from the rope around his neck, his face was stoic, bloodshot eyes were half open and cascaded blood ran from his mouth and crusted onto his leather clothes.

"No, no, no," she cried as she held Hansel's face in her hands, heavy tears starting to run from the corners of her eyes. The tears felt alien on her face for she hadn't cried in years. Her brother was hanging dead right in front of her and that was more than enough to break the shell that contained her tears for so long.

But this couldn't be. She didn't want to believe it. She didn't. They'd been together for so long. Hansel couldn't be dead. Ben couldn't be dead.

She refused to believe it.

"Rrgh," a light growl suddenly sounded over her and Edward's soft cries.

Gretel snapped from her tears and looked around for the source of the foreign sound. The dirt room was empty aside from rickety old furniture, candles, and the two bodies. Where was it coming from?

"Rrgggh," the growl was slightly louder and had a hint of menace lacing the sound.

"Gretel!" Edward's deep voice rumbled, "Hansel!"

Her attention snapped to her brother's face that was still cupped in her gloved hands. His blood red eyes were staring right back at her, his pupils shrinking into the eyes of a predator. His mouth curled into a snarl with blackened teeth and had a breath that smelled of rotting meat. His skin almost looked like it was disintegrating down into the insides of his body, the stinking meat dark red and rotten with maggots prying their way in and out.

"RARGHHH," the growl turned into a deep screech and pierced her ears from being such a small distance away. A strong hand grabbed one of here wrists before she could pull away.

In that split second, Gretel realized they had fallen into a witch's trap. This was not Hansel. It was a bewitched cadaver that, under the influence of dark magic, would be turned into the deepest fears of whoever came trespassing. It was a 'gift' that certain witches left behind when they abandoned lairs.

And they had fallen for it.

The zombie pulled the rope around its neck into mere pieces and set himself free with one swift move. The stench of the body was almost unbearable and it didn't make her feel any more comfortable that the spell still retained Hansel's image, though gory and rotten. The zombie threw himself on to Gretel before she could react and pinned her down onto the ground, snarling into her face and splattering her with blackened saliva.

Before it could attack, a large shadow tackled it off of her body and the two crashed into the wooden table standing a few feet away. Edward had come to her rescue and was now wrestling with the living cadaver, his growls drowning out its screeches.

Suddenly, something jumped on her from behind and wrapped its disgusting arms around her shoulders. Ben's doppelganger cadaver gave out a similar but higher screech as it tried to immobilize her. Gretel fought against its hold but it was too strong even if the body was supposed to be dead. She grunted and threw her head backwards to hit it square in the nose- or what was left of it- and then roughly opened her arms to rid of its hold.

Gretel ducked under and jumped towards her dropped crossbow, smoothly rolled into a stop and aimed at the cadaver in front of her. She quickly pressed the trigger and sent multiple arrows flying towards it but the cadaver was surprisingly quick with its slender build. It took some arrows to the torso, though it didn't hurt it, and dodged the rest, the other arrows almost hitting Edward who was still fighting with Hansel's doppelganger.

Gretel cursed under her breath and dropped the crossbow to the ground. She couldn't fire so recklessly in the closed space without the risk of hitting Edward and the arrows didn't seem to faze it. Her weapon was obsolete. The only way of offense was to fight hand to hand.

She charged at the cadaver and swung her fists, cracking its jaw and nailing it in the gut. Black blood and rotten flesh grossly stuck on to her exposed knuckles. The cadaver moved like a drunkard, yet still strong and able to land hits.

Gretel dodged its reach as it tried to grab her long braid and the hem of her leather jacket, and then sent a kick flying to its head. She missed and was about to move into her next move but was set flying backwards from a chair that was swung at her. She landed hard on her left arm and searing pain from the burn came rushing back like lightning. She felt the wetness of blood under her leather sleeve and knew that her developing scabs had been painfully ripped off from her skin.

Gretel cursed and slightly recoiled from the pain but gathered her senses fast enough to roll to her left, avoiding the stab of a knife aimed at her head. She quickly got up to her feet and winced at throbbing of her arm. This was not good. She couldn't move it without further tearing her skin or rubbing her exposed muscle against her leather sleeve.

The cadaver ran towards her like a maniac with the knife lifted above its head and was screeching like its heart was being torn out of its chest. It swung the blade towards her so quickly that she barely dodged it and in the dimness she didn't see the broken chair lying towards where she stepped.

Gretel tripped over the wooden pieces and fell to the ground, landing on her left side once more. More violent pain shot through her whole body that she cried out in utter pain. The cadaver jumped on top of her and pinned her down with its rotten weight, a devilish smile revealing its gruesome teeth.

"GRETEL!" Edward wailed, trying to make his way towards her but was tackled to the side.

Gretel's body was in too much pain to successfully push the damned thing off and the hope of escaping the stab of the blade dwindled as fast as it came. It raised the blade with both of its hands above his head, readying itself to bring the final blow. Gretel quickly shut her eyes, ready for more pain to come, and didn't think of the flash of sunlight that peeked through the lair's entrance.

"Get off of her, you son of a bitch!" she heard someone yell.

The cadaver's screech rang in her ears as she felt the weight suddenly lift off of her in a split second. She heard multiple shots of a gun follow right after and more grunts of combat.

"Ben! Go help Edward!" Hansel commanded with an agitated yell over the sounds of breaking wood and blows.

"Yeah, I got it!"

Gretel's eyes shot open at the familiar voices and quickly tried to get up to see if her ears didn't deceive her. As she sat up, pain throbbed through her again and she spazzed in pain.

"Hey," Hansel kneeled down next to her and put a gentle hand on her good shoulder as he looked at her with hard eyes. Even in the dimness she could tell from his face's creases that he was angry,

"Don't move, you're hurt. We got it from here, Gret."

He quickly got up and made his way towards the fallen cadaver that had pinned her down. Hansel swung his gun at its face and continuously hammered it with brute force. Piece of its rotten flesh and broken bone flew with every hit and it seemed to gradually weaken. He was showing absolutely no mercy.

Hansel stomped his heavy boot down on the cadaver's chest to pin it down. It squirmed against him but was now too weak to effectively fight back.

"Bastard," Hansel mumbled in disgust then pulled the trigger with no hesitation. Its head exploded into pieces in all directions and splattered his pants with black ooze.

Another gunshot rang through the room, Ben having successfully blown off the other cadaver's head as Edward held it down. Both weren't hurt but Edward had a few scratches and bruises that blended in with his rough skin.

The job was done.

"Woo! Finally, some good action!" Ben cheered as he lightly punched Edward's scratched arm. The troll grimaced in slight pain and punched him back with annoyance.

"Are you okay?" Hansel made his way back to his sister and knelt down beside her. He set his gun on the floor and cradled Gretel's face softly in his hands.

"The burn," she said tiredly, "It's bleeding."

"Let's get you outside to the light," he said quickly. He took her good arm and wrapped it around his neck and then hoisted her up with her waist. He nodded at the other two to head out with them.

The afternoon light blinded Gretel's eyes, the dimness in the room greatly contrasting with brightness. When they got outside, the trail of blood had disappeared, merely an illusion conjured up by the black magic. Gretel cursed herself for falling for the trick; they could have avoided this fiasco and spared her burnt arm some pain. As good as she was at noticing detail, the very thought of her brother severely hurt or dead got the best of her.

Hansel settled her down on the grass and stripped her leather jacket off slowly, seeing that the sleeve was suctioned to her skin by the moisture of the blood and flesh. She clenched her teeth at the pain and heaved a large sigh when he finished peeling her jacket off her arm. Hansel threw her jacket aside and quickly took his water canteen and a roll of gauze from his utility belt.

"Oh whoa, Gretel, are you okay?" Ben jogged over and worry struck his face when he saw her bare arm severely bleeding.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she murmured as Hansel slowly poured water on her now fresh wound. Even though the liquid was just water, the cold air mixed with cold water made it sting. She winced but was held down by Hansel's free hand by the shoulder.

"Quit moving," he said sternly, "It's already bleeding enough."

He continued to slowly pour water while Ben went to attend to Edward's minor cuts.

"How did you find us?" Gretel asked, looking at her brother.

"We were on our way to your direction since we couldn't find anything on our side," Hansel said as he started to gently wrap the wound with gauze. The wrap was firm but not too tight and made Gretel wince once again.

"We heard some crashes and what sounded like Edward growling his head off, so we traced it here," he continued, "And it looks like we made it in time."

"It was a witch's farewell gift," Gretel said through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, I figured," her brother nodded with a creased brow and continued to wrap the gauze. Silence befell all four of them as they attended to each other's wounds.

"It looked like you," she said bluntly, making Hansel stop his motions. He looked at her with a confused look.

"What looked like me?"

"One of the bewitched bodies," she replied, "and the other looked like Ben. When we came running into the lair we found your body hanging in the middle of the room- or we thought it was anyway."

Hansel didn't reply but still looked bothered as finished his wrap and pressed the last of it on top of her shoulder. He then collected his things and threw Gretel's soaked jacket over his shoulder before holding out a hand to help her up. She took his offer and stood up to see Hansel smiling at her almost as if he had won a bet.

"What?" she asked, totally clueless of why a smile suddenly came over his face.

"Aw, you cried for me, didn't you?" he said, lightly chuckling.

Gretel glared at him with annoyance. She hated people seeing her cry, even her brother- no _especially_ her brother because he was always teasing her about it ever since they were children. She wasn't exactly the most compassionate person on the exterior and she'd gradually considered tears to be a sign of weakness. And by hell, she was not gonna have him tease her about it now, especially since she really had thought her brother was dead.

"No, I didn't," she said defiantly, any sorrow or fear she had felt melting right away back into her sharp demeanor. She grabbed her jacket from his shoulder and her crossbow Ben had set down beside her,

"Now let's head back. Sunset is in two hours."

Gretel ignored the pain throbbing on her arm and started to make her way down to the direction of their planned rendezvous point without so much of a glance back at the other three.

There she goes again.

Hansel looked at her back with utter amusement and faintly chuckled to himself. His hard sister, the one delicate juggernaut that was the spark of their drive, the one who refused to cry had shed tears for once and for him. He thought it was cute, actually, but inwardly it reassured him that his sister cared enough about him that she'd broken her shell.

He glanced with a smirk at the other two who were ready to move as well.

"Yeah, she cried for me."

* * *

_Waaaaaah that was a really long one haha. Thank you so much for all your reviews, favorites, and alerts! They really wanted me to keep going with the story and I hope that this chapter satisfied your wait. :) I still feel like I'm still struggling with the characterization (in terms of it being consistent) so if anything bothers any of you, please tell me and I'll correct that. _

_But anyway, feedback and questions are more than welcome! I'd appreciate getting some constructive feedback so I can better future chapters for you guys and some suggestions so I can do some fanservice hahaha._

_Oh, and I also have a Tumblr! dynamiicdynamiite is my url :)_

_Thanks for reading! __Until next time~_


	3. King Alban

"We're sorry Mayor Gandore," Gretel said with an even tone, "We located the lair but it's been abandoned."

"No kids, either," Hansel added with a small sigh. He leaned against the frame of the fireplace and awkwardly glanced at the familiar fat lady statue sitting atop of it.

Gretel approached Gandore's desk and pointed at the kingdom's map strewn over the mahogany, smoothly tracing her index finger over the musty parchment.

"We covered this area and here as well," she said authoritatively, "No sign of children or the witch and we have no evidence as to where the she's fled to."

The mayor's brow heavily creased as he stared at her slender finger lingering over the map. Almost 12 hours of searching and they'd found nothing aside from the abandoned lair. He couldn't blame them, after all they were just trying to do their job, but with the pressure from the king on his shoulders he needed results.

"The lair also looked newly abandoned," Gretel added, "the dark magic left behind was still strong enough to be effective."

"Perhaps she just moved to a different mountain with the children, then?" Gandore proposed.

"We don't know," Gretel said bluntly as she straightened up from glowering over the map, "It's a possibility but that would mean more days of trekking… and with no leads it might just end up being a wild goose chase."

"If it came to that we'd just be wasting our time," Hansel said from the back.

"So, what do we do then?" Ben chimed in from his seat on the couch, "We just wait to see if she attacks the town again?"

"Looks that way," Gretel nodded, glancing at the other three behind her then back at Gandore, "Mayor Gandore, I know you've already paid us half of your dues but this hunt is looking like it will take longer than expected with the current circumstances. We won't ask for a raise but we'd need to be accommodated."

"And we need to prepare for if or when the witch comes," Hansel said, following his sisters words smoothly.

"That's completely fine," the mayor nodded with a light tone, "Stay in the inn as long as you need. We have plenty of room. The goal is to be rid of this nuisance so do as you wish… just as long as it doesn't completely disrupt my town."

"Thank you," Gretel said, nodding back at him, "We'll fill you in tomorrow morning when we've got a full plan."

"Oh, I must mention before you go back to the inn," Gandore said quickly before they could turn to leave for the night. A small smile formed on his thin, wrinkled lips.

"His Highness wished to meet you four. He's been looking forward to finally meeting the famous witch hunters we've all heard so much about face to face. He arrived this afternoon while you were away."

"And yes, it's been such a long wait," a smooth, English-accented voice suddenly came from behind them.

All five turned their heads to the double door entrance of Gandore's office. There, accompanied by two fearsome looking knights, stood a dark haired man clad in dark maroon, shoulders adorned with gold epaulettes and outfit regally decorated but simple. His face was young, looking as old as Hansel and Gretel were, and was exceptionally handsome above the norm. When Gandore first mentioned the king, all four inwardly imagined him to be an old geezer just like the mayor.

However, his man looked like the embodiment of perfection.

"I am King Alban," the man said with a small smile and a courteous nod, his dark eyes sparkling like dancing candlelight, "Pleased to finally meet the amazing witch hunter duo and company."

"And company?" Ben asked out loud, offended.

"Oh, terribly sorry, chap," Alban said with an apologetic tone. He approached the boy with an extended hand and the other placed on his chest. Ben hesitantly took it.

"I didn't mean to offend you. I know you well as Benjamin Wosser, the duo's apprentice. I hear you've grown to a fine witch hunter in the last year. Ah- Hansel!"

The king smoothly made his way towards the said man who was still leaning on the fireplace. He offered a hand and Hansel took it awkwardly with a crooked smile, while Ben was sitting aghast that the king clearly knew his name. Not even the girls his age back in Augsburg knew he existed even after the whole thing with Muriel. But the _king_ of a kingdom knew his name.

"I am such a huge fan," the king said excitedly but was tamed enough in his regal manner to remain relaxed- unlike how Ben was when they first met him.

"Er… nice to make your acquaintance, Your Highness," Hansel nodded and refolded his arms once Alban let go of his hand. The king's grip had been stronger than he'd expected; the guy didn't seem to be the aggressive type of person but his hold was firm, bold, and secure. Hansel didn't know what to think of this man.

"You must be Edward," the king next bowed to the troll who just looked at him with uncertainty on how to respond, "My, you're much larger than I imagined but every bit of the wondrous troll I've heard about. Simply amazing…

"…And the lovely maiden," the king softly said as he turned to look at Gretel who was still standing in front of Gandore's desk.

Alban approached her, his dark eyes looking straight into her dark brown ones. Something inside her fluttered the slightest bit and made her uncomfortably switch her weight over to her left leg. The man was handsome, she admitted, even more so than any man she'd encountered but she was never one to fall for handsome faces- or for anyone really. And yet, something in her gut shifted right that second.

Maybe it was the accent.

"Gretel," the king said, his voice almost a dazed sigh, and gently took her hand in his gloved one, "It is so wonderful to finally see how irresistibly beautiful you are face to face."

He raised her hand to his lips and softly kissed the back of it, his kind eyes never leaving hers even for the briefest second. The small touch was warm and for the first time in her life, Gretel felt her face redden from embarrassment. She didn't know what the hell it was about this man that just penetrated through her shell of male-advancement immunity… and at their first encounter, no less. But even with the weird feeling she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Hansel behind them shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat as if it were a cough.

"Pleased to meet you, King Alban," Gretel said evenly, almost having trouble in keeping her usual, collected tone.

The king's smile grew wider as he let out a light chuckle. He let go of her hand and glanced all around him with open arms.

"After your long trek and for your heroism the day before, I'd like to invite all of you to dinner tonight! It shall be my treat," he said cheerfully, "It'd be the least I can do to thank you all for coming to aid my kingdom. Come, I even brought along my palace cook just for the occasion. Come as well, Mayor Gandore."

"Oh, no thank you," Hansel said with a sigh as he massaged the back of his neck, "Like you said, we kind of had a long day so-"

"We'd love to, Your Highness," Gretel interrupted with a small smile at the king. Hansel snapped his head at his sister who gave him a subtle look that said 'show some respect' like a mother scolding her child.

"Marvelous!" Alban exclaimed, already making his way toward the open doors, "Then let us head down to the Town Hall's dining hall, shall we? I'm sure you've never had anything as amazing as Sir William's cooking."

"Alright!" Ben said happily, any offense that was visible just a few moments ago completely gone. The kid was certainly swayed by flattery. He shot up from his seat and began to follow Alban out the door. Edward glanced at the other two and followed after as soon as Gretel gave him a nod to go.

"Come," Gandore said, slowly getting out of his seat and gesturing to go as well, "I've tasted Sir William's dishes once before and they are superb!"

"Right…" Hansel sighed and trailed after the mayor and Gretel.

He lightly hit the small of her back and received a look of annoyance in return.

"Did we really have to go to this?" he whispered to her. After a long day, his aching muscles and creeping tiredness just wanted him lying in their bed back at the inn. It seemed like they finally had some down time and he wanted to take full advantage of it.

"Hansel, the _king_ just invited us to dinner," Gretel whispered back with irritation, "It'd be rude to turn down his invitation."

"You sure that you're not just checking out this guy?" Hansel teased, though he was half serious.

"No, of course not," she shot back, glaring at him from the corner of her eye.

Hansel shrugged and pursed his lips in a comical fashion, exaggeratedly nodding, "Alrighty then."

Gretel rolled her eyes. Her brother's teasing was starting to get on the worse side of her nerves. She loved his subtle comic relief now and then, but after the rough day she just had the urge to punch him square in the nose. Unfortunately, she had to keep up her usual behavior in front of royalty.

When they reached the large entrance doors to the Town Hall's dining area, Hansel half regretted wanting to skip out on King Alban's invitation. Through the monstrous open double doors they saw a long table, intricate and grand in design, with an unimaginable amount of freshly cooked dishes. Everything looked delicious, still steaming with hot air and absolutely tempting.

Hansel's stomach was suddenly grumbling and his mouth began to water.

"Still want to go straight to bed?" his sister asked with a grin.

"Nevermind."

* * *

It was late evening when the four finally parted with King Alban and Hansel was grateful that they finally left. It seemed like an eternity of sitting there in silence, watching Alban, Gandore, Gretel, and Ben go back and forth with conversation. He was never a people person to start with, his sister usually being the voice for both of them, so the whole night was just awkward for him. He thought of it as quality time with Edward who sat just as awkwardly as he did.

Through half the evening, they learned that King Alban was absolutely the embodiment of perfection. Only 25 years old and having been on the throne for three years after his father died, Alban had completely rebuilt the kingdom's infrastructure from scratch. With no royal advisors or elders to guide him, Alban, at the young age of 22, boldly took the horses by the reigns and ruled with a gentle iron fist. He was the handler of order.

His people, in turn, prospered and the standard of living and the health of the economy dramatically increased. Gandore had spent a full ten minutes admiring the man about his accomplishments and how he was the best king Cardarom had ever had.

To add to it all, Alban was tall, fair and handsome. All his kingdom adored him, especially the women- evident from the giggles and flirtatious smiles of the mayor's town hall maids. Shining smile, twinkling eyes, melodious accent, fair skin, short hair that cascaded and framed the upper half of his face… saying he was the epitome of perfection was almost an understatement.

Hansel thought it was all annoying.

What annoyed him the most, though, was the king's attention to Gretel. Alban paid just as much attention to Ben when the boy spoke but the twinkle in the king's eyes when he focused on his sister bothered Hansel. Then again, he was always wary of any man who looked at her in any way that showed attraction, but there was something about Alban that made him especially uneasy.

Fortunately, Gretel had spoken with usual courtesy, not playing along with the king's subtle flirtation and only responded to Alban's minute advancements like a rock. That calmed Hansel a bit.

They were now back at the inn getting ready to turn in for the night and Hansel couldn't help but think back about the day's earlier events. He and Ben had found nothing in their scouring and decided to head in the other two's direction for an early rendezvous. As a pair, they moved much faster than the other two, so they figured Gretel and Edward were still making their rounds on their side of the mountain.

They'd walked for about an hour until they heard loud crashes and sounds of struggle a few yards away. Without hesitation, they both had run towards the source of the sounds and discovered the lair the same way Gretel and Edward had- though the racket was a dead giveaway. Hansel was thankful that they'd made it in time to help; Gretel would've been stabbed to death if they hadn't.

But there was something else pulling on his gut… guilt, which had been slowly sprouting since they'd started their way back to Linderwood.

"Hey, Gret," Hansel said as he took off his dirtied tunic to change into a fresh one for bed.

"Hm?" his sister inquired. She stripped off her leather pants and threw them over the chair sitting at the corner of their room.

"Back at the lair, you said the body looked like me," he said. He pulled the fresh clothing over his head and faced his sister across the bed with folded arms.

"Yeah?" she looked back at him while buttoning up her old, white blouse.

"The dark magic's illusion only-"

"-only embodies the trespasser's worst fears, yeah, I know that," Gretel said with a curt nod. She slipped in under the heavy covers and patted her pillows to make them more comfortable.

"What of it?"

"Your worst fear is me dead?" Hansel sat on the bed beside her but didn't get under the covers and only looked at her with a concerned face.

He'd teased her for having reddened eyes when they went outside the lair to get her fixed up. It was amusing for that moment, especially since Gretel hardly explicitly showed her emotions to that extent, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt guilty. He realized that the encounter must have drained her more than she let on.

His sister only looked back at him, her face soft but looking bored in the candlelight. She then sighed and laid herself down on the soft mattress on her right side, facing her brother. She still didn't respond and merely gazed past him out the open window.

Gretel wasn't sure that it was her absolute worst fear, but she knew she fucking dreaded the idea of her brother dead more than anything. They've been together for all their lives, kept each other going in their times of need, and grew a bond stronger than anything they've known. Of course she'd grieve, of course she'd fear his death, of course she'd feel like her sanity had been sucked out of her.

Hansel was her brother and she loved him too much to not shed tears, even if the whole thing was conjured by dark magic.

It was almost funny that Hansel was the one to tease her for her tears. Almost.

"I'm really sorry," Hansel said gently, "I shouldn't have bantered you earlier."

"Mm, you can be a real ass sometimes," she said bluntly, "But it's alright."

"It isn't," he said, shaking his head, "I know if I saw your body hanging in the middle of a witch's lair I… I'd lose my fucking head."

Despair that engulfed her earlier that day suddenly returned at the memory. The feeling had been strong, unbearable, at the sight of her brother lifeless and covered in blood. She felt as if her heart was being violently pulled out of her chest, the pain unmerciful. It was a sensation she didn't want to feel ever again in her life.

"So I'm sorry, Gret," Hansel sighing and reached to gently caress her forehead.

Gretel looked up at her brother with watering eyes. She hated her brother's persistent apologies even more than his teasing; they always got her feeling guilty that Hansel was straining himself worrying about her. That was the last thing she ever wanted.

And all in one day, her eyes had watered twice for the first time in years. She absolutely loathed it.

Hansel looked down at her with even more concern evident in his eyes, seeing hers starting to water.

"Hey," he whispered. He slipped his index finger under her chin and gently tilted it upwards to get a better look at her face. The candlelight amplified the worried creases on his expression and made more tears run.

Gretel glared at him through glistening eyes and roughly moved his arm away. She covered her eyes with her right forearm and swiftly pulled the covers up with her injured one.

"Get under here, idiot," she mumbled, her voice strong even though she felt more tears about to burst through.

Hansel sighed and slipped under the covers beside her, tucking her head under his chin and pulling her body right up against his. He felt the tears slowly soak the front of his tunic, but ignored the wetness, and slowly wrapped his arms around Gretel's waist, careful to avoid brushing her injured arm. He lightly rubbed her back with a comforting touch and sweetly took in the warmth of her body, appreciating every ounce of heat he felt.

She didn't sob or cry out loud but the tears still bothered him all the same. The last time he remembered Gretel crying seemed like a lifetime ago, even before the childhood event that changed their lives. There were some instances where small tears had formed from a punch to the face or a bad hit to the stomach or from a yawn, but this was the first time she'd let more than a drop escape her eyes.

He hated seeing Gretel upset or hurt. He swore to himself to protect her in every way he could, the promise having started the day they burned their first witch. It was his duty not only as a brother but also as a companion who knew their partner inside and out. She was the first to stand up against the odds, saved him from being burnt alive, and pushed them to the limit to being witch hunters… so he thought he owed her more than his life.

And he'd provoked tears, the last thing he wanted to see on his sister's face. He felt nothing but guilt.

After an eternity lying in the candlelight, Hansel noticed that the tears had stopped. Gretel hadn't moved at all aside from having wrapped her own arms around his waist. He slightly pulled away and saw her eyes closed and face peaceful. Dried tears stained her cheeks and faintly shined in the dim light of their room.

She was sound asleep.

Hansel heaved a deep sigh and pushed himself up against Gretel again, burying his face in her dark hair. Her familiar scent, one that he'd known for all his life, was soothing and reassured him that his beloved sister was undeniably right there with him in his arms. They hadn't slept this close together in a long while, Hansel usually giving up small sleeping space to Gretel, but he couldn't help but love it.

He let his eyes flutter, not bothering to get up and blow out the candles since he didn't want to let go of his hold. Moving around would wake her and he'd have no excuse to wrap his arms around her again. Candlelight for one night couldn't hurt.

The night sounds of crickets, the small breeze gently raking against the windowpanes, and Gretel's even breathing began to slowly lull him to sleep.

Hansel would have loved to stay like that forever.

* * *

"You done, kid?" Hansel called out to Ben who was a few trees down and having trouble tying a final knot with such thin wire and clumsy hands.

"Yeah, almost!" the boy called back, "You can move on ahead if you want."

It was the usual tactic they used: thin wire tied around trees to use as makeshift webs that would slaughter anything that passed through it. It was just amazing how witches still fell for the same old trick over and over again. The two were setting multiples of this trap all around Linderwood's perimeter in preparation for if or when the witch decided to make a break for it.

Gretel and Edward were busy back within the town's walls setting up other less dangerous traps, such as weighted chain nets and sedative gas, that would help them in their capture but would be harmless to the townspeople.

Hansel nodded in response, grabbed the hefty roll of wire, and started to make his way to the next set of trees a few yards away.

It was still morning with the dew still strewn all over the greenery and few rodents up and about. He liked the outdoors and found a sort of lull every time he was out in the wilderness. The fresh air, the open space, and being away from hordes of people were things he loved most about it. It was the place where found solace aside from being with his sister.

Hansel took in a large breath and then dropped the roll of wire on the ground to start the labor of weaving. It was tedious work, but having done it countless times his hands worked quickly and smoothly- unlike Ben who was still hopelessly trying to finish his final knot.

As he worked, Hansel let his mind idly wander with the intention of relaxing himself. He'd woken up this morning facing up at the ceiling with Gretel's nose tickling the edge of his ear and an arm wrapped around his waist and felt a strange warmth seep through his body. He didn't know exactly what the feeling was, but it was familiar enough for him to detect it as a form of fluster.

But why was he flustered?

It wasn't like that was the first time they'd been physically that close together. He'd been more intimate with his sister than any other woman besides Mina, though intimacy in context with Gretel was merely a close sibling matter. Still, the 'embarrassment' was almost similar to when he was with Mina. It was starting to bother him more than it should.

"Hey Hansel!" Ben said brightly from behind him, "Look who came to hang out with us!"

Hansel raised an eyebrow at the boy's odd choice of words and turned to see Alban walking towards him with Ben. The king was dressed down in a simple outfit with a black tunic and black leather pants but the regal aura was still there, much to Hansel's annoyance. He didn't dislike the king since there was no real reason to but he didn't particularly like the royalty either.

"Good morning, Hansel," the king said with a soft smile, "I hope you don't mind me coming to observe."

"Oh, no, not at all," Hansel said absentmindedly as he went back to weaving the wire around two trees, "Be my guest."

He didn't offer any other bits of conversation and went to ignore Alban. Irritation started to bubble from the depths of his gut but he knew he couldn't just blow the king off. He hoped Ben would keep him busy.

"What are you two chaps up to out here?" Alban asked with genuine curiosity as he walked forward to observe the wire glistening in the morning sun, "I've already visited Gretel and Edward but this appears to be a unique trap I've never seen before."

"Yeah, it's sort of our signature trap," Ben said proudly as if he was the one to invent it. He started his clumsy weaving on a different tree a few feet away.

"The wire's thin enough to be unseen from a far distance so when witches are flying fast on their broom- SPLAT- they're cut into a million pieces like a pig at a butcher shop."

"Marvelous idea," Alban said, plucking one of strings and producing a chimed ring, "Whose was it?"

"Uhh…" Ben said, scrunching his brow in thought.

"Gretel's," Hansel mumbled. He tightly tied a knot with much more force than needed. Gretel was the last thing he'd want to be the subject of their forced conversation.

"Ah, I'm not the least bit surprised," Alban said, laughing, "Your sister's as intelligent as she is beautiful."

Hansel brushed past him to make his way around the next tree, not voicing a reply though he inwardly agreed. He had no will to further converse with the king but having him just stand there watching them work seemed awkward, so Hansel figured he might as well say at least something- especially to get off the topic of Gretel.

"No knights accompanying you today, Your Highness?" he asked monotone, eyes still transfixed on his hands handling the wire.

"Oh, they are about," Alban said, "I just asked for them to stay a distance away; a man's got to have his personal space every once in a while, you know."

"Beyond your kingdom's borders is dangerous," Hansel said, glancing up at the other man, "Even a half a mile out, you're in danger's reach."

"Dear Hansel, you musn't worry about me," the king said with a small laugh, "I'm able to fend for myself if need be. My father didn't raise me to just be a pampered prince."

Hansel inwardly rolled his eyes. How much more 'perfect' can this guy get?

He caught sight of Alban's eyes suddenly spotting the rifle sitting on the ground beside Ben's feet, its body beautifully sleek and intricately crafted.

"Ben, my boy," he said excitedly, "Would you mind if I take a look at your artillery?"

"O- oh yeah sure!" Ben said, caught off guard by Alban's random request, "It's not mine though; it's one of Gretel's but she's been letting me use it."

He picked up the gun from his feet and tossed it over to Alban who hadn't bothered to approach him to retrieve it. The king effortlessly caught it with one hand without so much of a blink and admired the rifle's design.

"My, what a superb piece of work," Alban said, "May I?"

"Uh, yeah!" Ben said hesitantly but with a smile, "Here, you hold it like this."

Hansel watched the two from the corner of his eye, almost seeming like he was trying to stop himself from looking with curiosity. Ben was explaining to Alban how to hold the rifle as Gretel taught him- pretty well Hansel admitted- and the king was absorbing everything that was being said like a studious child.

"You aim like this with your eye trained on your target," Ben said instructively as if he were teaching a younger sibling and aimed at one of the many pinecones hanging from a tree a many yards away, "and then you pull the trigger. You have to pull the trigger on this one much harder though; I keep forgetting to oil it."

Ben pulled the trigger as he described and shot the pinecone right in the middle, making it crack into multiple pieces and showering the ground with bits of debris.

"You're not a bad shot, Benjamin," the king said with an impressed smile, "Right on target!"

"Thanks, Hansel's been training me with it," the teenager said with a proud smile and an awkward nod. He really was easily flattered; Hansel could swear the boy's head was slowly getting bigger.

"But the cartridge is a .308 caliber, chap," the king said, "Wouldn't you think you would have a much cleaner hit if you aim at a slightly higher angle? Perhaps ten degrees would do the trick. It's a minute change, but from this distance and the speed of the bullet maybe it will be enough."

Ben almost gawked at the man with complete surprise written all over his face. He, the one who was baby-teaching Alban how to fire the rifle, knew nothing of the bullet's size or anything detail-oriented about the gun for that matter besides how to fire and reload. But the king just completely one-upped him with a terribly mechanical proposition even Gretel didn't mention. Ben was suddenly embarrassed.

Hansel had stopped his working hands and looked at Alban with a scrunched brow of his own version of surprise. He was definitely not expecting something so technical to come out from the king's mouth- much less any knowledge of artillery.

"Here, let me show you," Alban took the rifle from Ben's hands and set up his stance, looking much more professional than the boy had.

The king aimed at another pinecone on the same tree with careful precision, dark eyes narrowing like a hawk on a hunt. Ben and Hansel watched apprehensively as Alban took a deep breath before quickly pulling the trigger. The bullet flew from the barrel of the rifle and broke the pinecone's barely visible stem. Before the pinecone could even hit the ground, Alban quickly shot another with the same cleanliness and went straight to firing another bullet.

After two more shots, five pinecones fell from the branches, each falling even before the previous cone reached the ground. His shots were perfect, one hundred percent accuracy, and he didn't even shift his feet even the slightest.

Alban lowered the rifle after the fifth shot and gave a huff of satisfaction. He turned to face the other two behind him and saw awestruck faces, though Hansel's much more subtle than Ben's but it was evident that neither of them was expecting that.

"See?" the king said with another shining smile, "Cleaner shot."

"Oh man, King Alban, you are officially the most awesome dude ever," Ben said.

* * *

"Two more… we need two more….two…" a low, slithering voice sounded from the dark depths of the large cavern.

The candles that stood on the edges of the rock space barely offered any light and only illuminated where they stood. The environment was wet with corroded stone lining the walls and strewn all over bottom of the cave. Dark stalactites and stalagmites dripped with water and mineralized solution, making the cavern look menacing as if the sharp pieces of mineral deposit were teeth of a large monster.

A stone throne stood lonely at the highest layer of rock, a wrinkled body of a woman clad in a dark cloak sitting atop its wet surface. There were no eyes in her sockets and her head hung low lifelessly from where she sat. Her skin was dark grey and disgustingly soft from the constant exposure to water.

A dark figure clumsily approached the stone throne and fell to her knees at the foot of the body. Another followed behind but remained standing, a large hood shadowing her face.

"Madame," the witch on her knees said, her slithering voice almost a low whisper, "Two… two more is all we need."

"For the last time, she can't hear you, Jeanine," her companion hissed angrily. She grabbed Jeanine's shoulder with a dark, scarred hand and roughly pulled the other witch up from the ground.

"I know she can, Ophelia," Jeanine whispered excitedly, grabbing onto the front of her cloak, "We're almost there. I know she can hear me."

Ophelia glared at her with wild red eyes, her black lips pursing into a snarl. She grabbed Jeanine's wrists and ripped her grip off her cloak. The younger didn't look the least bit fazed by Ophelia's piercing red eyes and merely looked back at her with tranced blue orbs.

"Stop with this nonsense," Ophelia snarled.

Before she could say anything else, a small whisper sounded through the entire cavern in a haunting echo. They both craned their necks around in bewilderment to look for the source of the sound. There was no one else that entered the cavern with them.

"Look!" Jeanine gasped and pointed at the wrinkled body sitting on the throne.

Ophelia turned in time to see the lower jaw of the body slowly opening, another low sigh escaping from its mouth but the rest of the body remained still. She blinked, thinking her old eyes were starting to play tricks on her because no, it couldn't be. After almost a hundred years… it just couldn't be.

The mouth's movement was slight, almost undetectable, but even Ophelia couldn't deny that the sigh was coming from their Madame's body sitting on the stone throne.

"She can hear us," Jeanine whispered, dazed with amazement.

"Yes," Ophelia breathed, just as astonished.

"It has begun."

* * *

_Just for the record: I know nothing about guns LOL so excuse my inaccuracy._

_I know this chapter wasn't very eventful but I couldn't just do action after action because I felt that it would have pushed the story too quickly for my taste. I'm trying to do slow, gradual development so please bear with me! If you have any problems with that, please let me know so I can figure out a way to balance the pace between chapters and events. _

_So, dun dun dun, three new characters appear! King Alban, Jeanine, and Ophelia who are all of my creation. I'm not going to talk too much about Jeanine and Ophelia right at this moment but I hope you all liked Alban hahaha even if Hansel doesn't seem to. _

_**One note about him:**__ if this were a real movie I would cast Gaspard Ulliel as Alban, so if you love having visuals of characters in your head, look him up! _

_But anyway, thank you all so much again for all the reviews, alerts, and favs! I really love getting feedback from my readers because I get an idea of how well (or not well) I'm authoring my stories. :)_

_So please drop a review about what you liked and didn't like about this chapter, even if it's a really short one, because I'd really love to hear some feedback! I'm here to write for all of you as well as for myself so critiques and comments (no matter how long or short) are very helpful and encouraging. I feel like I'm almost begging... haha. _

_Thanks for reading! Until next chapter~_


	4. New Witch Hunters

"What's he still doing here?" Hansel asked with faint annoyance, but Gretel knew her brother more than well enough to detect it.

He coiled the extra netting after he finally finished setting up the last trap in between two vendor carts. Thankfully, the street vendors had kindly agreed to the set up after a few convincing words about the witch, unlike some others who were wary of their plan.

"Who?" Gretel asked, taking a bite out of her apple. Despite noticing his annoyance, she genuinely didn't know whom he was talking about.

Hansel didn't voice a reply but glanced up at Gandore's office window up on the town hall's second floor and then went back to paying attention to his working hands. She observed him from her seat on a barrel, many townspeople rustling about in the background to prepare for the coming evening.

Her brother's brow was slightly scrunched more than usual but his glance up at the office answered her question.

"King Alban?" she said, realizing whom he was talking about, "He mentioned that since he's already here, he might as well do his annual town check up for Linderwood."

"Oh."

Gretel continued to gaze at her brother with curiosity as to why he'd been acting so irritable ever since they'd returned from their trek the day before. It wasn't like him to let any irritation linger for so long.

"Why?" she asked. She threw the apple core into a waste bin next to the barrel, careful to make the shot lest the town sweeps would be on her case for littering.

"Nothing," Hansel said with forced nonchalance and a shrug. He shouldered the extra netting and looked at her.

"That was the last one, right?"

Gretel slipped the town map out from under her belt and opened it up over her lap. She uncapped her fountain pen, crossing out the section where they'd spent the last half hour setting up the net.

She'd sat there in complete silence since Hansel insisted he prepare this trap alone with the excuse that she didn't have to strain her injured arm. She was half thankful for that; the whole day of setting traps herself and constant movement made her healing burn seethe, but she didn't like sitting idly by watching the townsfolk mill about.

"Yeah, that's the last one," she said as she looked over the map for uncrossed points on the parchment. Hansel nodded in acknowledgement and Gretel folded the map again to tuck it away back under her belt.

"Alright," Hansel replied with a satisfied grunt and turned to walk off, "Let's go find Ben and Edward and get some dinner. I'm starving."

"Hansel," Gretel said bluntly, not budging from her seat. He stopped in his tracks at the call of his name and looked over his shoulder at his sister.

"What?"

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her eyebrows creased with a hint of worry, "You're acting a little odd."

"I can say the same thing about you," her brother said, turning to face her again. Gretel could swear that his tone was laced with the same irritation that was there when he referred to Alban a few moments ago. She didn't like it.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, reflecting the same tone back at him.

Before Hansel could answer his timer suddenly went off, its clicking interrupting whatever response he had at the tip of his tongue. He walked over to Gretel, set the rolled net on another barrel next to her, and took out his syringe from its pack. Her vexed eyes bore into him with every movement.

"To be honest, Sis," Hansel said as he tapped the side of the syringe to prepare the insulin, "and I think I can speak for myself and on behalf of the kid and Edward, but you've been acting seriously anal lately."

He propped up his leg on a crate and stabbed the needle into his thigh, pressing down to release the solution. He looked up at Gretel who was now glaring at him.

"I didn't believe you when you said there was nothing wrong the other night," Hansel said as retracted the needle and put his syringe away.

"I know you too well… enough to know that you're hiding something from me."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Hansel," Gretel said, her jaw visibly tightening in rising annoyance. She hated being wrongly accused of things she didn't believe true.

Hansel stared back at her, his frown calm against her glare and he could feel a small tension starting to build up between them. His sister really was not- and had not been- acting normal, even as she had sat there waiting for him to finish setting up the trap. Gretel never acted impulsively or carried an attitude with no reason, so there was definitely something off with her behavior. She just wasn't giving him a good answer and he needed one.

"Don't lie," he simply said, cocking his head up.

"I'm _not_," she said, slipping off her seat on the barrel and stepping forward towards him with a pure irritation in her voice.

As she stepped, Hansel felt a small force suddenly push him back a few inches, his feet catching him before he could topple over. He looked down at his feet and back up at Gretel with an expression of confusion and bewilderment the second the pressure of the force was gone. It felt as if someone had put their hands on his chest and lightly pushed him, but Gretel was still glaring at him like she hadn't noticed that he'd moved and he could swear her hands didn't leave her hips.

What in the fucking world was that?

"I'm not," she repeated boldly, and then picked up the netting from atop the barrel, "Now, let's get going and don't ask me that same question again."

Hansel stared at his sister's back as she began to walk off, taken aback by what had happened seconds before. He had no idea what to think of it and was starting to believe that he had just imagined it. But all he knew was that he definitely did take a step backwards when Gretel confronted him.

Hansel shook his head to rid of the odd feeling and just established it as his simply his imagination. There was no evident answer for it.

He sighed and moved to catch up with his sister, disappearing into the crowd of townspeople after her.

* * *

"I know it's only been a day, but I'm already bored," Ben sighed, letting his head gently fall backwards on the wall. He sat criss-crossed beside Edward on the floor of their room, taking a break from making their planned patrol rounds after they had an early dinner.

Ben made his rounds alone with Edward on his own patrol, much to the fascination of the townsfolk who stared at the troll with curiosity. The sheltered people of Linderwood apparently never saw anything other than other humans and farm animals, so the sight of a troll frightened them but completely mesmerized them at the same time.

The town- and kingdom in general- was odd, Ben thought. From Gandore they learned that the kingdom's been absent of witches for the past hundred years and Ben could not come up with an explanation as to how or why that was. The witch plague, as far as he knew and learned in the past year, affected every single place with a human population no matter how large or small. There were always women who indulged in the dark arts and to have none in a whole kingdom for almost ten decades was a baffling thought.

"I have a feeling you're gonna regret saying that," Hansel said with a small smirk as he cleaned the barrel of his gun with an old cloth.

"Yeah, probably," Ben said, rolling his eyes though he agreed; luck was always toying with him. He then paused and glanced between his two companions with uncertainty.

"Hey, guys, don't you think it's pretty weird that these towns haven't had a witch here in the last hundred years until now? Even through all those Blood Moons… I don't know. I just think it's odd."

"Yeah," Hansel said evenly, gazing at the wall, "I thought about that. I know every place has witch attacks every now and then but I've never come across a place where there was absolutely no sign of witches."

Edward nodded and gave a grunt of agreement. He'd had suspicions about the town and kingdom from the start when the mayor mentioned the hundred-year vacancy of black magic. Having worked for witches his whole life, he knew too well that they were not so secretive enough to leave a town alone for a long period of time- much less an entire kingdom.

"There's no other super special Sabbath day for them is there?" Ben wondered out loud.

"Not that I know of," Hansel replied, turning over his gun to clean the other side, "Edward?"

The troll shook his head. He knew of none other than the Blood Moon.

"Do you think those two witches that attacked us a few days ago have something to do with this fishiness?" Ben asked.

Usually he'd tell Ben to shut up from asking too many questions, but this time Hansel only looked at the boy on the floor, remembering the two witches that he'd forgotten about since they burned their remains and continued the journey to Cardarom. At the sudden remembrance, he couldn't think of an explanation to answer Ben's question; it didn't seem like there was any connection between the two stray witches and the 'fishiness' of the kingdom- or this mountain witch mission for that matter. However, he did admit that the attack was still completely odd.

"I dunno," Hansel finally answered after pondering it a bit, "Why don't you ask Gretel? You know she's a lot better with answering questions."

"Ask me what?" Gretel appeared at the open doorway. She folded her arms and looked at the three, waiting for their question with curiosity.

"Gretel, don't you find it weird that this place hasn't had a witch in almost a hundred years till now?" Ben asked right to the point. His curiosity and paranoia was starting to increase every second that he didn't have an answer.

"If you ask me, this place seems a little _too_ perfect," Hansel said as he set down his gun on the table and looked at her.

Gretel blinked and their words sunk into her slowly as the thought panned through her calculating mind. She honestly did find it odd as it dawned on her and was surprised that she hadn't caught on to the strangeness from the beginning.

"And those two witches that attacked a few days ago," Ben added, "Is there some sort of connection between them and this witch gig? That attack was just weird and random."

She trained her eyes on Ben for a moment, her mind juggling the two pieces of speculation trying to find some sort of answer. To be frank, she did think about the significance of those two witches but hadn't managed to come up with a plausible explanation. They were in the middle of the thick forest with no civilization within a seven-mile radius and their attackers didn't look like they were native to the setting. She had just decided to think of them as traveling witches that just coincidentally crossed paths with them.

But why would nomad witches attack if they were just passing through, especially when the ones they were attacking were the famous witch hunters? Surely the would have taken a detour instead. However, they hadn't. That was deviant.

"I don't know," Gretel said, theories forming in her head but none logical enough to share, "But anyway, King Alban's leaving for his castle tonight. He wanted us to go to the north gate to say goodbye before they close."

"Aw, already?" Ben groaned in disappointment as he got up from his seat on the floor, "I was hoping to ask him if he could help me out with my shooting."

"Yeah, well, apparently he's got more towns to visit in a short time," Gretel said, turning towards the door and nodding her head for them to follow her, "Come on, he's leaving soon."

Edward got up from the floor and followed Ben out the door, amusingly compacting his body to squeeze through the opening that was far too small for him. Gretel was about to follow after them but noticed that Hansel hadn't moved from behind the table. The rumpled brow had come back on his face as he just looked down at his gun.

"Hans, come on," she commanded. She was still irritated with him and she didn't want any more piques.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

* * *

"I'm terribly sorry that I have to leave so soon," Alban said apologetically as he bowed to the four and Gandore in front of him, "but there is more business I have to attend to."

Behind him was a beautifully armored carriage with three horses as gorgeously adorned, neighing and fidgeting around from impatience. The carriage driver and knights mounted on their own horses waited idly by in the background for departure. It was almost time for the border gates to close and the four had barely arrived in time to see the king off before he boarded his carriage, especially when they had to weave through the crowd of townspeople wanting to say goodbye as well.

"No worries," Gretel said with a smile, "We understand you have your duties."

"Yeah, have a safe trip King Alban!" Ben said, "Hopefully the next time we see you you'll teach me some of those cool gun tricks."

"Of course, Benjamin, you can count on that. Well, I must be off to make it to Winchester before the late evening. It was very, very, very grand meeting you four," Alban said with a smile and small wave while walking towards the door of his carriage.

"I wish you luck on your witch hunt! Farewell!"

The townspeople said their cheery goodbyes, some of the women even blowing kisses towards their beloved king as he blew small kisses back in return. He really was a hit with the female persuasion and made Hansel mentally roll his eyes. The sight looked ridiculous and he was thankful that Gretel merely waved a farewell. But he wished he could say the same thing about Ben. The boy admired the man just as much as the women.

What happened in the next few seconds was completely unforeseen.

The second Alban's hand touched the door's handle, the other side of the carriage suddenly exploded into a fiery mess of broken wood and metal. The force threw the closest bodies backwards and shook the ground like an earthquake, sending the carriage about to topple over the fallen king.

"King Alban!" his knights yelled, getting up from where they fell and clambering to save their superior from being crushed.

They made it just in time before the blown carriage could land atop him, all five men in armor barely catching the body of wood and metal with strong hands. The king, with senses distorted, tried to regain his composure while his knights desperately attempted to push the carriage back on its four wheels before the weight became too much for them. Then another explosion blew a row of trees a few yards away, shaking the ground even more and inducing even more chaos.

"Go!" Hansel yelled at the frightened civilians behind him who had fallen from the shake of the explosions.

He quickly helped a frightened woman up from the ground and shoved her into a man's arms. The others around them scrambled up to their feet, children and women screaming with the men just as shaken. More explosions sounded around them as if it were raining grenades, dirt and pieces of debris dangerously flying in all directions.

"Get out of here! Grab your children and run! Move!" Hansel continued to yell, helping fallen people left and right and urging them to get away from the bursts.

He had no idea what was happening but all he knew was to get the people out to safety first and foremost. He caught sight of Ben carrying a small girl to her mother and Edward shielding a small family of four from an explosion to the right of them.

Gretel was helping the old mayor who had fallen backwards and hit his head, Gandore's escort resorting to carrying the unconscious old man in his arms to get away before another explosion came. As soon as she saw most of the townspeople were gone from range, she whipped her neck in every direction to find the source of the attacks, her alert eyes frantically scanning their surroundings.

A line of thin, flashing light zapped towards her from high above and she hardly dodged the attack, the dirt ground exploding dangerously close to her feet. Even though Gretel knew she was immune to black magic- she still wasn't invulnerable to the explosions that followed suit right after. She flew to the side and easily rolled to a stop on her knees with her eyes still trying to trace where the blast had come from. She looked up and caught sight of something flying up in the sky in the midst of the smoke and dust, hearing faint laughter coming from the dark fog.

"Up above!" she yelled over the screaming and shower of more explosions. She pointed right above one of the border's high watchtowers yards away.

Hansel, Ben, and Edward looked up at where she pointed and saw three figures on brooms flying around the tower's peak. Witches. They flew in circles above the area on which the fours stood, cackling in amusement while whipping their wands left and right.

One of them had a familiar laugh that they'd heard just a few days before.

"You again," Hansel cursed, recognizing the mountain witch he'd let escape.

"Edward!" he called over to the troll who was getting up from the ground. Edward exhaled through his nose like a bull and looked at him apprehensively. Hansel jerked his head upwards towards them.

"Take 'em down, bud."

The corners of the troll's mouth slightly curved into a mischievous smile before he charged towards a blacksmith's cart full of balls of metal ore. He easily grabbed on to one of the heavy metals and with a strong arm, flung it at the bald witch in the air. It hit her square in the torso and was abruptly thrown back, colliding with the horned witch hovering right behind her. They flew of their brooms and fell down towards the ground, crashing into the dirt.

"Good one!" Hansel said and ran to horned witch who was just a few feet away.

Gretel grabbed a loose chain that was sitting idly by on a barrel, remembering the clever use and wrapping it around her fists to use as brass knuckles. She sprinted towards the bald witch who had fallen the closest, intending to reach her before she recovered from her fall. On the last step of her run, Gretel grabbed the long tail of the chain, pulled her metal-wrapped fist back, and released the momentum of her arm.

The bald witch dodged Gretel's attack with a quick lean to the left, but didn't see the blade of the shovel Ben swung at the back of her head. She was thrown forward and Gretel kicked her in the nose like a ball, sending the witch flying backwards and hitting her back up against a tree.

Gretel pulled the chain's tail, tightening the rope of metal, and ran towards the dizzied witch. Gretel thrusted the chain on her throat and pushed down with so much force that the witch gagged for air, her wild blue eyes widening. But she was physically a lot stronger than she'd perceived; it took all of Gretel's focus to keep the chain on her respiratory tract.

"Ben! Grab her wand!" Gretel yelled, trying to keep her hold on her.

Before Ben could act, the witch grabbed on to Gretel's upper arms and twisted her tight grip. Gretel alarmingly felt the excruciating pain of her burn being chafed against again and cried out, the witch taking full advantage of the moment and kicking Gretel in the chest. Gretel flew back and was thrown further away when the witch grabbed on to her leather jacket and aggressively catapulted her from the ground.

Hansel, seeing her body coming towards him, ran forward and caught his sister, dodging the horned witch's thick needles along the way. The two both landed on the dirt and stopped in a skid a few feet away in a heap.

"Hyah!" Ben cried as he swung the shovel's head at the bald witch again but was too slow for her quickness.

He continued to wildly swing at her, walking forward, but she dodged left and right, walking backwards and moving with such agility Ben could hardly land a hit. The witch's mouth curved into a larger grin after every miss, totally amused at the futility of his attempts.

Ben's heart pumped hard. He knew he had to disable the witch soon before she conjured any magic upon him, knowing too well that he wasn't immune to black spells as Hansel and Gretel were. If he didn't act fast, he would be done for in the next few moments since this witch was more formidable than any he'd faced one-on-one before.

The witch suddenly whipped out her wand and caught the shovel's head in between the small, thick branches of her stick and immobilized Ben's movement.

"Grah!" she snarled, her rotting teeth baring, and offensively pushed Ben backwards.

Before he could regain his balance, she swung at him with her own wand, blades of dark magic rapidly flying from her metal tip towards him. He clumsily dodged to the left and right while stepping backwards, humorously mirroring what the bald witch had done when he had the offense on her. The tables had been turned.

At what felt like his millionth frantic step, Ben's ineptitude of swift movement got the best of him and the boy tripped backwards over his own feet, crashing his tailbone hard on the ground and letting go of his shovel. He instinctively shut his eyes and groaned at the pain, but then immediately remembered that he was still in the line of fire. He looked up at the witch in time to see her conjure another spell that was aimed right at the lower part of his body and almost a split second too late, he spread his legs out to avoid the potential incineration of his jewels.

The spell burned right into the ground and singed the dirt, Ben looking up with fearful eyes when he realized that that could have been his genitals. The witch cackled, still totally entertained and moved to throw another spell but was punched to the side by Edward who had come to Ben's rescue.

"Thanks, Edward!" Ben breathed in relief before moving to retrieve his shovel.

"You okay?" Hansel groaned as he tried to sit up from the weight of his sister on his abdomen.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Gretel said, wincing at the returning throb of her arm.

Her eyes suddenly flashed and she quickly pushed herself off of her brother, dodging a swarm of needles rushing towards them. The horned briskly walked towards them, spiky pieces of black material coming out of the holes on her skin. She swung her arms and the needle-like pieces flew out from her openings like bullets. Hansel scrambled up to his feet and evaded them, lunging backwards and skidding into a stop on his heels.

He cursed under his breath, vexed that he didn't have any of his weapons on him. This would have been easier to deal with and he -they- should have known better to let their guard down even for the briefest time. If they weren't fast thinkers they'd already be dead.

The spray of needles continued to shower, the horned witch diverting her attention from Gretel and concentrating her attacks on Hansel, viciously on the offensive. With nimble feet, he avoided the sharp needles but with much difficulty; it was as if he was trying to dodge a bullet mid-range and that was already almost impossible.

While he was moving, Hansel noted the witch's lack of use of her wand that he saw was tucked under her worn belt strapped around her waist. It was odd. Witches, from a distance, usually resorted to their wands as their means of offense- only until they could get closer to their opponent. It was as if this horned witch knew only physical attacks would work against him.

"You're dead!" he suddenly heard a screeching voice yell from above.

He jerked his head up to the source of the sound and saw the mountain witch flying down towards him. With his attention averted, he had no window to notice that the horned witch had thrown more needles his way. The strong, slender sticks pierced through the edges of his leather attire and roughly pinned him to the tree right behind him. Up close, the needles looked dense and heavy and didn't budge at his attempts to rip himself out of their grips.

He was immobilized.

The mountain witch slid off her broom just as she reached the ground and ran towards him with a knife in her hands. Hansel tried to budge from under the needles but they were stuck into the wood securely, his leather vest also rugged against the rods. Adrenaline pumped through his system like wildfire, for if he didn't move in the next few seconds, the knife would surely pierce through him.

It seemed that it was too late.

The witch and her blade were now just a few feet away and it seemed like a world of pain was inevitably coming. Hansel shut his eyes and prepared himself for the burning sensation to come.

"_Hansel!" _he heard Gretel screech.

Gunshots cracked through the air and the mountain witch's body fell to the side, her left arm bloodied and her eyes wide from surprise. Hansel turned his head to where the bullets had come from and saw a burgundy haired woman briskly walking towards them, firing her rifle with great precision at the mountain witch. Her face was hardened in focus and her red hair flowed with every step.

The witch screeched as a shot went through her shoulder and the next thing she knew, she was punched hard square in the jaw out of nowhere. Hansel watched as a brown-haired man clad in a tight leather vest continued to punch the witch out of her wits, giving her no time to react. Everything was happening so fast that Hansel could not grasp what was going on and failed to notice where the man and woman had come from.

"Callahan, I'll leave that one to you!" the woman called over to the man.

He didn't answer but briefly nodded in acknowledgement to her command. The woman went over to Hansel and quickly beat off the needles out one by one with the butt of her gun. After they were all gone, she didn't waste time even looking at his face and turned to go back to the battlefield.

"Hey!" Hansel called after her, completely confused at their sudden appearance.

"Argh! Get off!" he suddenly heard Ben cry out.

Hansel turned and saw that the bald witch was right on top of Ben with a hand around his throat and his shovel in the other, raised above her head. There was no one around him to come to the rescue, the two newcomers dealing with the mountain witch, Edward busy with the horned witch, and Gretel having been knocked to the ground a few feet away. Hansel was about to sprint towards them before another sound caught his attention.

"_¡__Vayamos, puta!"_ a Spanish voice called out and was followed by a swift crack of a whip.

The bald witch jerked off of Ben and landed on the ground beside him with a long red mark on the side of her arm. The shovel slide away on the ground and her wand had flown from her pocket and landed a few feet away. The witch fumbled from the floor to reach for it but her wand was flicked away by another crack of a whip.

She looked up and saw a tall figure of a man with a small moustache and goatee, wearing a hat with a small visor, and clad in black leather. He stood only a few feet away, his dark predator eyes dancing in the setting sun's light.

"Too slow," he said, grinning.

He threw his whip again, but this time making the leather curl around her neck and pulled her towards him just in time before it lost its grip. The man pulled the handle and end of the whip, tightening the wrap and strangling the witch at the pressure with such force that she grossly gagged. Before she knew what was coming next, the man twisted his hold on his whip and vigorously snapped her neck. The witch's body fell to the ground in a heap, dead.

The man then looked at Ben who had been watching the quick kill from the ground with surprised eyes.

"Wha-" Ben started to stammer. The newcomer had saved him and taken out the witch in seconds.

"_Ay, chico," _the man said, smiling at him and coiling up his whip, "No need to say it. You're very welcome."

Meanwhile, Edward was close to defeating the horned witch, whose needles were unable to penetrate the troll's rough skin and armor. Her physical offense was futile and she couldn't rely on her wand for it was snapped in half from one of Edward's tackles.

She was already done for.

"Rargh!" he growled, blocking the spray of needles with his large arm as he ran towards the frantic witch.

Edward grabbed her full torso, crushing her bones with a hard squeeze and then raised his free fist above his head with a battle growl. He brought his clenched hand like an unstoppable juggernaut and crushed her head right under it, blood and pieces of her brains and skull splattering in all directions. He let go of her body and let it fall to the floor, flicking his hands to rid of the black blood all over them.

"Edward!" Gretel breathed, jogging towards him while clutching her injured arm, "Are you alright?"

The troll grunted and nodded in response just as Hansel made his way over.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, more or less," Ben said sarcastically, "If you count almost getting your balls fried as okay."

"What about me, eh? Aren't you worried 'bout me? I'm okay, too," the man with the moustache and goatee said with a laugh just as the other two newcomers walked up to them.

"Ah, good to finally have some fun, eh?" the man said to the approaching two.

The other man in the vest threw the battered mountain witch down on the ground, stomped his boot down on her back and pulled up her arm as a restraint. The woman walked past the two men and looked at the other four in front of her with piercing eyes.

"Who are you?" Gretel asked cautiously.

"The name's Selma," the burgundy haired woman said. She propped her rifle on her shoulder and nodded her head to either side to indicate her two companions behind her.

"Pretty Boy's Callahan and the Spanish one's Lucio. Witch hunters. And who are _you_?"

"Witch hunters?" Gretel asked confoundedly. She thought she heard the woman wrong.

"Miss Selma," the king said with a sigh of relief, one of his knights helping him limp towards them. They had taken cover after the carriage was successfully pushed back on its wheels, the knights knowing well that their duty was to protect their king, and came out to the open once they saw that the danger was gone.

"I'm glad you and the others are here… however, I wasn't expecting you to arrive till three days from now."

"Yes, well, we thought we'd arrive early to get business started," the woman, Selma, said nodding at him in greeting, "Looks like we got here just in time, too."

"Business?" Hansel inquired, looking up at them with suspicion.

He didn't recognize any of the three newcomers and it was extremely rare, with chances of zero to none, that they would come across other witch hunters. He and his sister, with the protection of their mother's magic, were the only ones he knew that were immune to black magic. He knew anyone without that trait would never survive being a hunter of that specialty. As their company, Ben and Edward were the only exceptions.

And yet, here were three that had taken the three witches down with ease and claimed to be witch hunters.

"What business do you have here?" Gretel asked authoritatively.

She didn't like the woman's attitude right off the bat. She glanced at her brother a few feet away and saw that he shared the same wary, confused expression as she did.

"What do you think?" Selma slightly glared at her and tapped her rifle onto her other hand, her tone giving away her annoyance to Gretel's front.

"Now, I'm not going to ask again so answer me, who are you?"

"Hey, hey," the Spanish man, Lucio, scolded as he approached Selma and put a hand on her shoulder, "Selm, calm down. We're not out to make enemies. _Lo Siento_, _amigos_, my friend here is a little on the short side of tolerance."

"Ah, forgive me, Hansel and Gretel," King Alban interjected apologetically, "I've failed to mention that I've also hired Miss Selma and her party to watch over my other towns if they were to be attacked."

"Wait, Hansel and Gretel?! The famous original witch hunters?" Lucio exclaimed with his arms enthusiastically wide open, "My eyes do not deceive me, eh? _Mucho Gusto,_ Hansel _y_ Gretel! Eduardo _y_ Benjamin, too! _Perdóneme_ our rudeness."

He approached Hansel first and pulled him into a hug, much to his surprise. Lucio then pulled away and set his hands on Hansel's shoulders, a smile radiating the warm demeanor of the Spanish.

"Ahh, I'm such a huge fan, Hansel," he said, squeezing his shoulders, "I admire your work very, very much. _Simplemente increíble_!_"_

"Err… thanks," Hansel replied awkwardly not knowing how to reply. He stiffly took Lucio's hands off his shoulders.

"Wait," Ben said loudly, catching everyone's attention. He gestured towards the three newcomers with a hesitantly pointed finger.

"You're... witch hunters? No offense, but I've never heard of you."

"If I may, Miss Selma, Sir Callahan and Sir Lucio," King Alban said before Selma's impulsive tongue could lash out.

The woman looked like she was about to say something, but at the request of the king himself she quickly shut her mouth.

"As I said moments ago, I've sent for these three to aid this cause," King Alban said to the other four as he took unwrapped his arm from his knight's neck.

With a limp, he approached the middle of the two groups, as if a moderator of a quarrel, and glanced at either side with hands gesturing to both of them.

"I am dead set on restoring order into my kingdom," he said solemnly, "And I believe that it will be achieved through efficiency- which calls for more able bodies. I came across Miss Selma and her companions out on a diplomatic journey and they showed very useful skills when they saved me from a witch attack along the way. That's why I've summoned them to come as well. I understand that you four are completely capable, but…"

His soft eyes, full of persuasion, then locked with Gretel's.

"...You can never be too careful."

The same feeling she'd gotten from the first time she'd met the king suddenly returned, making her annoyance at Selma turn into fluster that she tried to immediately hide. Hansel glanced at his sister, hardly noticing her inner change of emotion, and then looked back at the other three across from them.

"How long have you been hunting witches?" he asked, his voice still wary.

It was still hard to believe that they'd actually come across other witch hunters; especially ones that could hold their own as well as they could, if not better.

"Three years," Selma answered, cocking her head up almost haughtily,

"Don't let that short time-span fool you. You may be the 'original' witch hunters, as Lucio said, but I know we can match you."

She gestured to the mountain witch who was held down by Callahan.

"Exhibit A."

"_¡__Ay Senorita!_" Lucio cut in with an exasperated sigh, scolding her again, "What did I just say, eh? _Por favor_, show some respect will you?"

Before she could answer, the witch under Callahan's boot squirmed with pained groans. All heads turned, each offensively bringing their weapons back up at the sudden sound. Callahan pushed his foot down harder and pulled the witch's arm up, putting more restraint if she were to miraculously break from his hold.

The setting sun casted haunting shadows all around them and menacingly embraced the witch's face.

"Fools," the witch heaved a low laugh, a waterfall of black blood dripping down the side of her mouth, "You've no idea what you're up against."

"We just took your and your friends' asses down," Selma said, cocking her gun downwards at her bloodied head, "What more is there to be up against before I shoot you in the face?"

"We'll keep coming," the witch breathed in a gurgle of blood, her eyes flashing even wilder, "We'll keep coming until your king is dead… until his skin is slowly torn off, until his chest is ripped open, until his brains are squeezing through the cracks in his skull… we'll keep coming."

"What?" Alban said, aghast, voicing everyone's thoughts.

Callahan grunted and stomped his foot down on the back of her head and violently pulled up her arm, a loud crack sounding through the open area making the surrounding audience wince. The mountain witch cried out in pain, her screaming muffled by the dirt up against her face.

"We'll keep coming," the witch continued to chant in between painful heaves, lifting her chin with difficulty to meet everyone's staring eyes, "We'll keep coming until the Day if the king isn't dead. Then you will all be dead. We'll keep coming until the Day if the king isn't dead. Then you will all be dead."

"Will you just shut the fuck up?" Selma said disgustingly and impatiently pulled her trigger.

The bullet ripped through the side of the witch's throat and made blood spurt over Callahan's boots. The witch screamed but the sound merely came out as a mix of a disturbing screech and pained gurgling. She coughed up blood and the mess spurted out onto the dirt, Ben clenching his own throat at the disgusting sight.

"Callahan, finish her," Selma commanded, annoyed.

Without hesitation, Callahan grabbed the grody cloth on the witch's back and powerfully hurled her body out into the open space behind him. In a split second, he reached for the artillery on his back and swiftly flicked a switch, the dark cylinder of metal disassembling its form and switching its gears to move its multiple parts. Metal clicks sounded and the cylinder had smoothly and completely transformed into a handheld Gatling gun.

Callahan briefly shifted his stance and then pulled the trigger, the multiple barrels rapidly spinning. The dying witch was bombarded by many bullets, the small pieces of metal tearing through her rotten skin and making her wildly spasm at the impacts. Her body started to fall to the ground once Callahan ceased his fire, but before it could reach the ground, he pulled a shotgun from his belt like lightning and fired a final bullet straight through her forehead. The witch's head blew apart in half before anyone could blink.

"Whoa," Ben breathed in amazement.

Everything had happened in less than ten seconds, with Callahan's movements so smooth that it was violently graceful. Hansel and Gretel were just as surprised but weren't completely explicit about it on their expressions; it was still hard to grasp that they'd come across other hunters and ones that were just as skilled.

"_Ay,_ there you go again, _niños_," Lucio sighed, apparently used to the display but had a disapproving tone about it, "You know we could have interrogated her more."

The tension that had built up between the two groups suddenly vanished and everything was back to business.

"No," Gretel said, a realization suddenly clicking in her mind.

She initially thought that those two witches were there on a mission to kill the king, but after weighing the odds and taking into account the fact that they didn't use black magic in combat, there was no solid opportunity for them to pull off the assassination successfully. What bothered her most though was their lack of using magic; they either knew spells didn't work on either her or her brother, or they weren't using them on purpose. Both ideas grinded on her all the same.

But pushing other racing thoughts aside, Gretel knew that the witch would have been no good to them no matter how much they tortured her for answers if she were kept alive.

"That witch was just a messenger."

"All three were," Hansel added, having come to the same epiphany as Gretel.

He turned to King Alban, the dislike for him still there but he knew that they needed to put the royalty under safeguard after hearing the haunting omen.

"King Alban, we need to get you out of here and off to somewhere safe," Hansel said, "There's someone after you and with just a warning we don't know their true motives or when they'll strike again."

"How do we know that what she was saying is true?" Selma shot at him skeptically.

"How do we know it's not?" Hansel shot back.

"We can't leave things to chance," Gretel said, solid on taking charge before anyone else could- especially the newcomers who she was still suspicious about. She did not like being looked down in contempt, but since the king had hired them and they showed adeptness in combat, she figured they'd be of help.

"Your Highness, where's the safest place in your kingdom? We either have to keep you hidden or put you in a box of metal if the warning is true."

"The castle," one of Alban's knights standing behind him answered, "It's a fortress all its own. Six-foot cement walls all around, twenty foot borders within the center town as the perimeter, and every opening reinforced with metal bars."

"Yes, the castle," the king agreed, a small hint of fear visible in his dark eyes, "My palace is the safest place in Cardarom; my father had made sure of it."

"Alright," Gretel nodded, and looked at the others who didn't show any objection, "Then that's our next stop. We move once we can- all of us. If King Alban hired you three, then we have no choice but to work together efficiently."

Selma loudly snorted at Gretel's initiative.

"Who died and made you Queen?"

* * *

_Sorry for the long wait, I've just been buried with school and I've had writing blocks on-and-off lately haha. My updates from here on out will come later than they have since my academic life is just getting piled up on… but we'll see. _

_Anyway, excuses aside, I hope you liked this chapter! Especially the three new characters, yay! Selma, Callahan, and Lucio. :) __**Again, if I were to cast people for these characters and if you like having visuals, I would have Sasha Barrese as Selma, Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Callahan, and Oscar Jaenada as Lucio**__. If you have any questions about any of these characters (that aren't related to the plot) I'd be glad to answer them. :D I don't know if it's overwhelming to have new characters coming, but I assure you that these three will be the last ones. Well, the last new main characters, at least. _

_As for people who are wondering why Gretel is "moody", the question will be answered in the next few chapters even though I've already given you a hint somewhere in this chapter haha. :P Just gotta catch it!_

_Feedback, as always, is more than welcome! Comments, questions, suggestions, constructive criticism or any kind of feedback would be awesome possum so please take the time to drop one. :) You have no idea how much I appreciate every single review! :D The more feedback I get, the more drive I have to continue. _

_Thanks for reading! Until next chapter~_

_[EDIT]: OH, by the way, I've apparently made an error in the title… LOL. It's supposed to be __**Simul in Aeternum**__… I have no idea how or why I missed the "in" part of the phrase. If you haven't looked it up, it means "together forever" in Latin haha. _

_Since this story's been up for a month, I'm just gonna leave it as simply Simul Aeternum. _


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